Cricket: Bay coach tells lobbyists to butt out

HB senior men's cricketer Ben Stoyanoff shows his touch rugby skills during training before tomorrow's Hawke Cup match in Palmerston North. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

STOP singling out provincial representative cricketers for higher honours before they have done their time with bat and ball first, says Colin Schaw.

The Pay Excellence Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team coach was reacting to calls from Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North CC counterpart Derek Stirling highlighting the purple patch of runs from premier club batsman Bradley Schmulian this summer.

"He's batting really well, which is really good to see from his point of view but we have to put everything else in context," says Schaw after Stirling, who also is the HB Cricket Association board chairman, highlighted Aucklander Schmulian's unbeaten 152 runs at Noth3 against The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist last Saturday.

Stirling said the last ton came on the heels of five unbeaten innings, including two rep matches, and the Central Districts Stags selectors must be watching the knocks of the former Auckland A allrounder who has come down to push for a domestic cricket berth with the major association.

"Schmulian had come into the area with a bit of reputation but he had yet to be tested against some really good opposition," says Schaw. "I think he's good enough to stand up and do something but I feel he's got to prove that."

The Bay men play Manawatu in a Furlong Cup two-day match at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North, from tomorrow to earn the right to challenge for the Hawke Cup, the symbol of minor association cricket supremacy.

However, the Bay coach says "pop-gun bowling" at premier club competition isn't a fair indicator of graduation to higher echelons, although it is commendable.

"People, coaches and chairmen and what not just have to back off and let the young man play his game because from outside people can see what he's doing."

Schaw says Schmulian has yet to score a Hawke Cup century, something he feels the batsman is capable of.

"We've got several guys in this squad who have scored Hawke Cup 100s and are still trying to get further [in their career] so things have to be put into perspective.

"I'm just asking a few of those guys to just leave him [Schmulian] alone because you can't pick a guy for a first-class side just because he's scored a big hundred in premier club cricket so we just have to be realistic."

Schaw says the 26-year-old South African-born right hander, who can tweak a ball, batted extremely well against Poverty Bay in the Kirk Cup match for his unbeaten 118.

"It'll be a big test for Brad this weekend and I hope he succeeds because he's a great guy who just loves the game.

"I think he needs to concentrate on the bat rather than trying to become an allrounder because that's what he's best at and that's what I'm trying to get him to do in our side."
Schaw says Manawatu will be a totally different side to what the Bay have faced so far this summer, after beating them in the Chapple Cup last month.

"I know none of the Stags are playing because they are not releasing them after four days of [Plunket Shield] cricket to Hawke's Bay so I presume it'll be the same for the other [districts]," he says as the CD Stags and Northern Districts Knights play the final day of round five of the first-class match at Nelson Park, Napier, today.

He rates the Bay side based on their training, seam attack and batting way down to No 11.

"Our 12th man Ben Stoyanoff misses out but he can bat as well.

"The biggest threat for me is the weather down there but we just want to see two days of cricket played," he says, mindful first-innings points will be a good insurance cover.

"We want this challenge because we haven't been tested, apart from when we went to Bay of Plenty over Labour Day weekend where the guys performed well."

Schaw says he has huge respect for Manawatu coach and former CD/Black Caps seamer Michael Mason "who is a good guy".

He likes to think he has brought a similar work ethics and culture to Mason in the past 18 months as Bay coach.

In Schaw's playing experience, he recalls Fitzherbert Park has a tendency to do a little for spinners on the second day so his four seamers/two spinners attack covers for that.

However, he says Manawatu is the yardstick for their cup season so the players need to lift their standards another few notches from the performance against Horowhenua-Kapiti.

BOTH TEAMS

HAWKE'S BAY: Jacob Smith (c), Matt Edmondson, Rupert Young, Bradley Schmulian, Indika Senarathne, Angus Schaw, Christian Leopard, Scott Schaw (wk), Giliam Christoffel Pretorius, Liam Rukuwai, Liam Dudding, non-batter Ben Stoyanoff.
Coach: Colin Schaw.

MANAWATU (possible): Dave Meiring (c, bracketed with Arana Noema-Barnett), Luke Murray, Mitchell Renwick, George Worker, Dane Cleaver, Whetu na Nagara (wk), Thomas Kuggelelijn, Henry Collier, Scott Davidson, Tim Richards, Navin Patel, Nick Blundell.
Coach: Michael Mason.