Road trip to remember

When the Northern Knights secured the Plunket Shield for 2011-2012, they embarked on a road trip to remember - or to forget, in some cases.

The team left Napier on Thursday after completing their last first class match of the season against Central Stags and drove to Hamilton in convoy.

As a "veteran" of the side, Northland's Joseph Yovich was left in charge of the silverware, which he stowed firmly in the console of his car while driving the team's "youngsters" to Northern Districts' headquarters, Seddon Park, making pit stops at pubs along the way.

"We took the shield into pubs along the way and old guys would come up to us and start talking about its history," the all-rounder said.

The Plunket Shield win was 35-year-old Yovich's 10th championship title with the Knights, including his fourth shield victory since he first played for Northern Districts in the 1996-1997 season.

"There are a lot of players who have played for years and haven't won a title, so getting to 10 is pretty special," Yovich said.

"All of my Plunket Shield victories are pretty special in their own way - I can remember significant parts about each campaign. This form is the hardest - it's like going to war."

The Knights entered the final round of the Plunket Shield on Monday with a 15-point buffer, determined to put some silverware in the cabinet following an unsuccessful season in the other formats.

"We were about six runs short on day two of the 250 runs in the first innings and sealing the title, but we popped the Champagne on day three when we heard the Auckland vs Canterbury game had gone in our favour, and confirmed that we had won the Plunket Shield," Yovich said.

Opening for the Knights, Yovich provided the initial backbone for Northern's first innings, making 61 off 155 balls before being the fifth man dismissed at 124.

Auckland Aces were the only team who could get close to the table leaders if they beat Canterbury outright, but Auckland were unable to complete their task and finished with a draw against the Wizards, while ND were soundly beaten by the Stags.

The Knights were in the clear however, and were able to relax and enjoy the celebrations which continued last night at the Northern Districts Cricket's Annual Awards Dinner at Sky City in Hamilton.

This season's ND squad contained Northland's Yovich, Brad Wilson - captain of the four-day team, and James Marshall, who were also the top order batsmen.

"It's always nice to be part of a squad with other Northland players involved ...

"Brad did a great job captaining the side - it was a learning experience for him, but made easy by having experienced guys around who just get in there and do their role. He's matured this year, and winning the Plunket Shield is a feather in his cap this early in his captaincy," Yovich said.

Yovich was uncertain of whether or not he would try to claim another title with ND, but said he would have a few months off and assess where he was at.

He was certain, however, of the healthy state the ND squad was in. It had a tremendous amount of experience in it, and talented youths coming through the ranks, he said.