Cricket: Ball in Kings' court but Stags can be jokers

Blair Tickner shows the style that yielded three wickets yesterday. PHOTO/FILE

Expect an early declaration today from the Canterbury Kings as they try to take the speculation out of the bragging rights for Plunket Shield this summer.

After skittling the Central Districts Stags for 315 in 97.1 overs before lunch yesterday, 73 behind the target, the visitors piled on 273-8 in 69 overs in their second dig for a lead of 346 runs with two wickets in hand going into the final day today.

The Stags were only able to add 68 runs to their overnight total in their first innings with captain William Young remaining unbeaten on 128, including 14 boundaries and two sixes at Saxton Oval, Nelson.

"We started up and it was doing a little bit early and then it just flattened out so it was easy to bat on," said CD seamer Blair Tickner after taking 3-54 while medium pacer Navin Patel and part-time spinner Tom Bruce chimed in with two wickets each.

Tickner said the CD camp suspected the Kings would take five or six overs to bat before declaring today.

Canterbury claimed the maximum eight available bonus points from the first innings yesterday morning. Their bullish stance comes on the platform of Cole McConchie's 131 runs from 145 balls in the middle order.

McConchie fell on the last ball of the day but not before the 25-year-old put on 117-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Todd Astle (57).

The other question was what sort of mindset were the last-placed Stags going to take in what appears to be a mammoth total in a day's play?

Tickner said with the wicket flattening out CD aimed to take the batting today session by session into lunch.

"Obviously they'll want a result from it so they won't care and try to just go for a win," said the Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay cricketer.

Canterbury left-arm speed merchant Ed Nuttall claimed 4-92 on his return from shoulder surgery and was sitting on a hattrick while skipper Andrew Ellis took 4-49.

"We've only lost one game this year and it was to them but we probably should have won that," said Tickner said.

Defending champions Auckland Aces will be hoping CD will hold the Kings to a draw.