Northland seamer Stephen John believes a sense of discipline can only help Whangarei Boys' High School when they take on one-day champions Maungakaramea tomorrow in the 55-over competition.
The student side sit third on the table and could secure a final spot with an outright win at Maungakaramea, with the top
two teams City and Onerahi-Central taking each other on at Kensington Park.
The team's recent form has been a complete turnaround from the 50-over competition, where they finished second-last, mostly playing without John, who had visa problems that delayed his start to the season.
The player-coach from Pakistan has given them a strike power with the new ball that they missed in the one-day competition but there is little doubt that several key members of the team are also beginning to fulfil their potential in the competition.
John believes a new seriousness in the nets is helping them to concentrate during the game.
"We're doing things a little bit different in the nets. Before, the batsmen wanted to slog in the nets but now they're batting properly for seven minutes and waiting for the bad delivery, and then playing their shots in their final two minutes."
He said the approach seemed to be paying off and the side were losing fewer wickets in the first 15 overs of their matches, allowing them to go on and score bigger totals. "We are now playing really well, more like a team with the batting and bowling combinations beginning to work better, and I think that's why we're winning more games," he said.
Even if High School flounder against an off-colour Maungakaramea they will have another chance to make the final, with a make-up match against Kaipara Flats in the New Year.
John, in his second season in Northland, is relishing the challenge of working with the talented youngsters at the school. "I'm really enjoying it here, especially this year because I'm working with the boys, they want to learn and they're really hard workers," he said.
Kaipara host Kamo in the third match of the final round, with the final not scheduled for March 15.
