Cricket: Northern eye rare double

The Japanese continual improvement philosophy of Kaizen is one reason that Northern Districts' cricket is riding so high this year - oh, and don't forget the influence of Northland's Elliot Bay and Hamilton fitness trainer Jason Wheadon.

They've all been cited as key reasons ND is on the verge of taking out the Plunket Shield. They will do so if they can secure any points when they play Central Districts in Napier in the final round starting tomorrow.

It would be historic. The Knights, current one day champions, have never won two men's trophies in a season. The only way Canterbury can leapfrog them is by beating hosts Auckland outright and ND getting no points and remaining behind on net runs per wicket.

So often cricket is seen as the sport where the portly chap, albeit blessed with a reasonable eye, can excel with a minimum of movement. He can either thump boundaries with his feet anchored to the crease, field in the slips or bowl two-step dibbly-dobblies.

However, that species is extinct in ND at the moment. Coach Grant Bradburn says he gave veteran fitness trainer Wheadon free rein in the off-season to shape up his charges.

"Jason needs to take a huge amount of credit for the philosophy he instilled. He knew he had an ally when I ripped up last year's fitness schedules, saying I wanted something tougher. As a result, I would say we are the fittest team on the circuit. It's been great to watch opposition teams come out of the dressing room after a day's play and look surprised when several of our guys were doing extra training."

That philosophy has paid dividends. Batsmen Hamish and James Marshall, Kane Williamson and BJ Watling each average over 50 for the season. Some describe that figure as "the new 40", due to excellent batting pitches around the country, but it can't be scoffed at. Nor can the season's top four bowling figures, shared by ND's Tim Southee, Brent Arnel and Graeme Aldridge.

But many, including the opposition captain for tomorrow's match, Jamie How, cite fielding as ND's real strength: "They're a well-drilled, nimble team with a strong work ethic. Not all teams have that composition."

Bradburn agrees. "Some of the catching and ground fielding has been inspiring. Players have learned to dive more effectively like soccer goalies. Relay-throwing via back flicks has also become second nature."

Joey Yovich, 33, who will start his 99th first class match tomorrow, credits the pre-season with engendering a strong team spirit.

"We roughed it on a team trip to Elliot Bay, near the Bay of Islands. We did fitness work, lived off the land, went fishing, paddled canoes, camped out and didn't have showers. That did plenty to bond the team."

Underpinning that excursion was a pre-season where six of the team, including Yovich, played on Australia's eastern seaboard, thus avoiding the drudgery of tramping out onto often waterlogged artificial wickets at home.

Gelling the fitness and team spirit has been a return of the catchcry "Kaizen" used by the Kiwis when they won rugby league's Tri-Nations under Brian McClennan in 2005. Bradburn was so taken with the description of the Japanese philosophy for continual improvement, he instilled the term as part of team vocabulary.

"Some of the guys thought it was strange at the start but we implemented it in a number of ways. For instance, it was built directly into the selection process to minimise 'gut feel' - so we could justify any choice.

"While averages were important, we added in elements like how often someone's performance changed the course of a game. We also kept the top team sharp by playing them against the 'A' squad four times in the pre-season over different formats. On two occasions, the Knights were given a dusting, so that was humbling but ultimately beneficial.

"It also meant monitoring bowling skills more closely by asking for specific deliveries in training. That had a big effect. You couldn't just rock up and deliver at will, you had to be able to slip in a yorker, bouncer or slower ball on demand."