Confident Knights riding high

Northern Knights coach Grant Bradburn is certain his group of players are on to a good thing heading into tomorrow's round three 50-over match against the Wellington Firebirds at Cobham Oval.
It's early days in the domestic one-day competition, but winning two close first-round matches is surely the sign of a good team unit, he said.
"The games against Auckland and Central were two very tight games, and we were very pleased to get up on those - and while we're realistic that we have things to work on, to win like we did is the sign of a good team," Bradburn said after an extra-long training session at Cobham Oval yesterday.
Bradburn has named the same 12 that played the first two rounds for tomorrow's game and their round four match against Otago, in Invercargill, on Wednesday.
"There are always things to work on to improve but we are travelling pretty well ... a couple of the guys really stood out against the Stags - Daniel Flynn, who scored a hundred, and Bradley Scott, who finished the game for us - he is making a habit of it - but there's no better feeling in cricket to win the game single-handedly for your mates."
Wednesday's victory over the Stags saw Flynn record his third domestic one day century and the match also saw the continuation of Bradley Scott's impressive record when needing a boundary off the last ball or two to win a match.
Scott hit Stags bowler Doug Bracewell for two sixes in the final three balls, to give the Knights a win with one ball remaining.
Although proud of his team winning both matches, Bradburn is hoping for a more technical and clinical game tomorrow, and for his side to show more discipline and courage through the middle innings where the game can be won or lost, he said.
"We were very fortunate Bradley and the lower order were firing for us on Wednesday, but we would like to see one of our top six in the order close the game for us."
It is the Knights' first home match in the one-day competition, and the coach said the side was looking forward to playing at Cobham Oval, on a wicket which was shaping up to be very a good surface for the one-day game.
Tomorrow's match is also one of the last chances the 2011 Cricket World Cup New Zealand squad players will get to prove themselves, with the team to play on the Indian Sub-Continent next month set to be named after round four.
"After round four we will know who is in the Black Caps for the one day series against Pakistan and I'm picking they will want to play those guys who are going to the World Cup," he said.
There are several Northern Districts' players in the preliminary squad including Flynn who would be hard for selectors to go past on the back of his 115 against the Stags, as well as BJ Watling, who was in good form with the bat and had good wicketkeeping skills the coach added.
"You would expect Scotty Styris and Peter McGlashan to be frontrunners or thereabouts ... we are hopeful to get a number of players in the team."
The side for tomorrow's game at Cobham Oval, starting at 11am is: James Marshall (c), Graeme Aldridge, Trent Boult, Jason Donnelly, Daniel Flynn, Peter McGlashan, Michael Parlane, Bradley Scott,
Scott Styris, BJ Watling, Brad Wilson, Joseph Yovich.