Cricket: Stags 43 runs shy in nail-biting finish

Kruger van Wyk

The Central Districts Stags were at it hammer and tongs but came up 43 runs shy in Whangarei yesterday in their first-class match.

"It was close and we made a good fist of it," the Devon Hotel-sponsored CD skipper Kruger van Wyk said last night after the Northern Districts Knights prevailed in the Plunket Shield match at Cobham Oval.

"We weren't going to die wondering and chased the total so well," Van Wyk said, reiterating that the days of eking out stalemates were a tactic of a bygone era.

He was proud of his boys with No3 Greg Hay two short of carving up a century while first-dig century maker William Young added 56 runs to the cause and Van Wyk giving them a sniff with 62 runs at No6.

Mitchell Santner carried most of the load with 3-70 from 33.1 overs, including 10 maidens.

Van Wyk said the batsmen lost a little bit of concentration but emphasised that was expected in red-ball cricket.

Even after having lost two wickets, the Stags soldiered on with similar determination.

Both teams could have settled for a boring draw but neither team nor fans would have come out any wiser for it. CD and ND had made bold declarations to set up a nail-biting finish.

"Losing is never ever the way so don't get me wrong but we're out to win and I'm glad we gave it a full go."

The Heinrich Malan-coached Stags return home today before heading off to New Plymouth to play the Wellington Firebirds.

"It's an away game at home," he said, after New Zealand Cricket last month revoked the first-class status of Karori Park, Wellington.

The park had only acquired that status three years ago but will have to acquire another warrant of fitness to stage domestic cricket.

CD and ND played a draw at a picturesque but postage stamp-sized Pukekura Park a match before but Van Wyk said weather tended to influence the wicket.

"When there's rain and cloud cover then it determines how much time the groundsmen can spend working on it but Pukekura is always good so we're keen to play there again."