The Pink Report

Northern Exposure

There was a Northern Districts wicketkeeper (I shan’t say whom) whose language and commentary behind the stumps earned him the nickname “Filth” from his opponents. Loveliest, most polite fellow you could possibly meet at any other time, but once he crossed the boundary rope it was Jekyll and Hyde material. I can think of dozens of other ND players, a current coach even, who weren’t far behind him in the split personality stakes. Unleashing the inner bulldog has long been an ND thing - far from exclusive to ND in the cricket world, but consistently their hallmark. Maybe that’s something you can trace back to the roots of the country’s youngest major association that brought together provincial fighters to scrap against the establishment.

For the last half hour of the Plunket Shield match against the Stags it was great to hear some vintage verbals ringing out over the turf. In the dead calm of Cobham Oval on a Sunday arvo you could hear every word of Pete McGlashan’s chips at the batters out in the middle, getting under their skin and rubbing it in when they stuffed up as all good glovemen are licensed to do. And I reckon Trent Boult might be a wicketkeeper trapped in a fast bowler’s body. That lad just never stops yapping, even from the boundary - and he can keep it up all he likes because he’s very quick-witted with it, too. In fact everyone in the side out there was barking away at the Stags and for me that was really refreshing because it’s been a sullen end to too many of the Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights’ games this season.

The top-of-the-table Stags had gone out needing to bang 121 runs off 14 overs to grab an outright victory over the home team, having already bagged the first-innings points. The pitch was doing nothing spectacular, so peeling off 8.64 runs per over was viable - but the way the Knights came charging out of the dressing room, body language all chipper, holding their heads high and determined to at least have the last laugh, denied the Stags their chance to stretch their points table lead even further. Within minutes George Worker had been caught behind, then Michael Parlane ran out Peter Ingram and Daniel Flynn and Pete combined for a spectacular run out of Kieran Noema-Barnett, the Central Stags three for 13. They should have had a fourth wicket when Mathew Sinclair nicked one behind but wasn’t given, but by then the Stags had been firmly pushed back on their butts anyway and had no option but to shut up shop for the draw. The Knights may not have taken away any competition points from this encounter, but it was quite the fun little ending.

The pity is that they’d blown their chances of being the ones in command of the match on the first day. They’d won the toss and batted on the kind of deck that makes batsmen do a little jig before they stride out to work, but a string of cheap top/middle order dismissals meant that century-maker Daniel Flynn was pushed into the role of saviour, unable to attack as freely as he might have wished. All out for 342, they were about 100 runs short of a healthy total on a pitch that the local experts said wouldn’t break up and turn. And so it proved.

But as frustrating as it was to watch the Stags’ batsmen then dig in and plough their way to the first innings points, it had its moments. It was just fantastic to see Graeme Aldridge take his first first-class hat-trick. That was on the afternoon of the third day, when Toll Stadium next door was blaring away, packed with thousands of people watching the Warriors beat the Burleigh Bears on a rare Whangarei sojourn. “G” pulled off his bowling feat before a near-empty cricket ground, bending his back on a pitch that was dead as a dodo, leading the way as usual after a bloody long and dispiriting day in the field. First the nick behind to get rid of Nethula, who can be irritating, then deliveries that were too good for either of the remaining tailenders to get their bat in front of. I hope the circumstances of the match don’t prevent him from looking back on that fillip with some pride - it’s another dollop of icing on a fine season for the senior bowler, and came on the back of a valuable 58 with the bat.  

Brook Hatwell should walk away from his maiden first-class match with his chin up, too, after finding himself charged with holding up the second innings after a tumble of early wickets. What an introduction. After the cruel blow in the first innings (see previous blog), this time he certainly got a chance to bat - and did a good, patient job, batting with BJ Watling for almost four hours for his 71. A century on debut up in smoke, sure, but he looks good value and hopefully he’ll have more chances to show his stuff.

Sadly BJ missed out, too, after all that time and patience - fatally lashing at a knee-high full toss when he was on 99. I’d quite like a dollar for every time a crap ball gets a prize wicket. Maybe that was some kind of weird kismet because in the Stags’ first innings, Tim Weston had got himself out on 99, too - failing to pick Jason Donnelly’s arm ball. If that wasn’t bad enough, you might recall that it’s the second time this season Weston has scored 99 and been denied the magic three figures against the Knights - at the same ground, even, after being stranded on 99 at the non-striker’s in the tied one-day match. What are the chances, eh?

We’ll also remember this match for the fact the Stags’ jammy manager Lance Hamilton found himself reliving his playing days when he was needed as a substitute fielder (pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan having injured his back mid-match) - he took the catch that dismissed Pete McGlashan in the second innings. Apparently he won’t get to add it to his first-class statistical record, however. because they have bureaucratic rules in place around that. Can’t see why he shouldn’t. I’ll also remember tireless pace bowler Michael Mason running in session after session. What a fit-looking 36-year-old he is, and loaded with experience - a guy like that running in on a hot day can’t help but inspire the rest of his team’s attack.  

Ups, too, to New Zealand Cricket president Denis Currie, who was on business in Warkworth during the game and made a special effort to drive up and catch a bit of the game and have a look at Cobham Oval’s impressive facilities, off his own bat. Cobham Oval hosted a couple of women's internationals a couple of years back and of course this year was awarded a Pakistan tour match, and deserves more international matches in future.

But back to the knitting - where does this all leave us on the Plunket Shield points table, after this squandered opportunity against the Stags, and further south, a nailbiter between Canterbury and Otago and a real turn-up with Wellington beating the Aces?  Well the Stags have stretched out slightly to 26 points, Canterbury have edged slightly ahead of us on 12 and the Firebirds have joined the Knights on 10, though with a slight run rate advantage securing them official third place to our fourth. The Volts are on six and the Aces, whom we play this week at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland, are desperate to get out of the cellar with just two points.

Catch you later in the week with the next instalment - and meantime don’t forget there’s a big event in Hamilton this Thursday with the Titans International Twenty20 match bringing together some great names from either side of the Tasman for what should be a heap of fun. I’m picking the Stephen Fleming-led NZCPA Samsung Masters side to beat the Aussies - don’t let me down, fellas.