Chapple Cup cricket: Doug Bracewell lends ‘firepower’ to Hawke’s Bay side

Former Black Cap Doug Bracewell declined a Stags contract for this season but is turning out for Hawke's Bay this weekend. Photo / NZME

By Hamish Bidwell

As Hawke’s Bay’s hopes of seeing off the recent Hawke Cup challenge from Taranaki slipped away, Christie van Dyk disappeared into the home team’s dressing room.

When the Hawke’s Bay coach emerged, it was with the Hawke Cup in one hand and its wooden carry case in the other.

Calmly, he placed them on the outfield in front of the RC McInnes Pavilion at Nelson Park for the new holders to collect once stumps were drawn.

It’s not a ritual van Dyk hopes to repeat, when the Chapple Cup 50-over tournament concludes in Palmerston North on Sunday. Hawke’s Bay is the defending champions and begins their campaign against Whanganui on Friday.

“I’m going to take the trophy to Palmerston North and I’m going to keep it in my car,” van Dyk said.

“My whole philosophy is I don’t want to take it out, because I don’t want to give it to anyone else.”

Hawke’s Bay’s done enough of that already this summer, with the Furlong Cup it held now residing in New Plymouth as well.

Van Dyk knows the types of players and style of cricket he wants to play to regain the Furlong Cup next summer and qualify for a Hawke Cup challenge.

The skillset players bring will be important, but perhaps not as vital as their attitude.

“It doesn’t matter that we had the Hawke Cup, we should’ve finished [the Furlong Cup] first. That’s what happened the previous years,” said van Dyk.

“This year we were happy to finish second because we had the Hawke Cup and that’s not good enough. We need to finish first every year.”

Unavailabilities - along with the usual raft of players on Central Stags duty - means this Chapple Cup squad has a slightly experimental look about it.

Van Dyk has sought to reward players such as Harrison Woolley, Bailey McDonald and Angus McKnight for strong club seasons, while also looking to the future in the form of teenaged leg spinner Finn Reid.

The coach believes a match winning spinner is the key to Hawke Cup success and is eager to see if Reid can eventually fill the void left by Stags Jayden Lennox and Angus Schaw.

He also needs to find a quick bowler or two, now that Liam Dudding is playing for Wellington, Toby Findlay is a Stags regular and Ben Stoyanoff has quietly retired.

In the meantime, former Black Cap Doug Bracewell is a very handy (if only temporary) option to lead the attack in Palmerston North.

Bracewell declined a Stags contract for this season and his most recent cricket was of the T10 variety in Dubai, before being part of the Joburg Super Kings squad in the SA20.

“He didn’t play a lot of games in South Africa, he wants to play for the Stags and CD and I had a discussion about that and I said I will be happy to take Dougie,’’ van Dyk said.

Bracewell adds firepower to what’s a strong-looking Hawke’s Bay batting line up.

Openers Logan Ryniker-Doull and Jack Boyle were the batting stars of last year’s Chapple Cup title win, but the former hasn’t played this season due to injury while the latter’s become a mainstay of the Stags.

It’s likely Woolley and Bayley Wiggins will open the batting this time around, followed by Dominic Thompson, Sam Cassidy, Bracewell, Todd Watson, McDonald, Josh Fairbrother and then the bowlers.

Hawke’s Bay Chapple Cup squad: Dominic Thompson, Tyler Annand, Doug Bracewell, Sam Cassidy, Josh Fairbrother, Jed Greville, Bailey McDonald, Angus McKnight, Finn Reid, Todd Watson, Bayley Wiggins, Harrison Woolley.

This article is supplied courtesy of Hawke’s Bay Cricket Association