CRICKET - All eyes on the missile when a quick is about

Former Northland cricketer and well-known sporting identity Ross Kneebone joins the Advocate sports team with a weekly column on cricket. In his opening column Kneebone champions the value of pace bowling ...
On Tuesday a week ago I umpired a Gillette Cup knock-out match between Whangarei Boys' High School and Hamilton Boys' High School first XIs.
A 50-over match with the winner going through to the national finals later this year, both schools were fired up for a big match on a flat wicket at Cobham Oval.
Hamilton BHS won the match thanks to a well crafted 90-run innings from one of their openers and a good all-round bowling and fielding performance.
The player who caught my eye was the opening bowler from Hamilton BHS, a rangy Indian lad. Put the name Anerag Verna away in your hat because you will hear a lot more about this young quickie.
Being so close to the action, it got me thinking about quick bowling.
No matter what the team or what grade of cricket, a genuine quick in the opposition certainly causes all sorts of strange things to happen among the batting side.
One only has to walk into the changing room to notice a quick is in town.
Gone is all the banter and bravado from the lesser lights in the batting order who often pipe up how they should be in the top order.
When the quick is taking his mark at the top of his long run, these wannabe batsman are usually hiding in the corner hoping not to catch the eye of the captain.
Meanwhile the real opening bat, although not saying it, is thinking "why me?", while tightening up the bolts on the helmet.
Once the battle starts the fancy off and cover drives are shelved. Any squirt down to fine leg is always worth one run rather than the two if "medium Mike" was bowling. It is far easier down the non-striker's end in these circumstances.
Over the years Northland have had their share of quicks who have caused any amounts of panic amongst opposition top orders.
Bob Cunis springs to mind. He sat many a cocky opening bat on his backside with a quick bouncer - more often then not followed with a comment like "you wait until I warm up son".
Chris Cairns had a season up in the north many years ago. A fresh-faced teenager he might have been back then, but put a new ball in his hand and the beast soon came out.
You would not meet a nicer bloke off the field than Joey Yovich, our long-serving man in the Northern Districts team, but put that new cherry in his mit and stand back. To Joey, batsmen are thieves, trying to steal runs off him. The red missile soon becomes something to be avoided at all cost. Just ask the Onerahi top order of last week.
Steve Swartfeger, the current Northland new ball operator, has the fire power to get people hopping around the crease line too. Let's hope we see plenty of that this season.