Rance makes most of dream ride through ranks

Seth Rance can't believe his good fortune.
The Wairarapa paceman was brought into the Central Districts Stags Twenty20 cricket squad just a couple of weeks back when Black Caps allrounder Jacob Oram had to miss a game because of a family commitment and has made every post a winner.
So much so he seems a certainty to make the starting line-up when the Stags host the Auckland Aces in the competition final at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, on Sunday.
"It's been a fairytale no doubt about that," Rance said yesterday . "It's the sort of thing you dream of but never really expect to happen.".
Not only is Rance rapt with his own form which has seen him taking regular wickets at a cost of less than six runs an over (very acceptable by Twenty20 standards) but he is confident about the Stag's chances of winning the decider.
"We have to be a big show, it's just a matter of pretty much continuing on the way we have been going," he said. "They (Auckland) are a strong unit but we will be backing ourselves to beat them."
Rance can't speak highly enough of the contribution made by former Wairarapa College first XI player, Black Cap Ross Taylor, to the Stags cause.
Taylor, who announced his engagement just a few days earlier, smacked a spectacular 28 runs from 12 balls, including a six off the fourth ball of the last over to bring up victory, when the Stags scored a four-wicket win over Northern Districts in Hamilton on Tuesday to clinch a finals spot.
It was typical magic from a batsman Rance labels as "perhaps the best in the world" at the Twenty20 game.
"Ross is something else, he can turn a game on its head with power batting no matter who the bowler is," he said. "He's got terrific timing and the match situation never seems to faze him, he just goes out there and dominates."
More than that, Rance has also been hugely impressed by Taylor's ability to keep his feet on the ground despite media and opposing teams often touting him as the scalp most prized in the Twenty20 series.
"He's not the sort of guy who openly rates himself, he's just one of the boys. And he loves performing well for the Stags, he gets a real buzz out of that."
Interesingly enough Rance and Taylor locked horns only once on the local club scene before Taylor moved to Palmerston North and the memory is not one Rance particularly enjoys, having been bowled for a "duck" by the then age group star.
Adding to the excitement of Sunday's final for both the Stags and Auckland is that the winners qualify to contest the rich Champions League competition in India but Seth Rance says Stags management are intent on ensuring their players do not think that far ahead.
"I guess it's something which will be in the back of our minds but we can't let it affect the way we play .Otherwise we'll probably be history."