Cricket: Challengers calm before Battle of Bays

Matt Edmondson (right) is the No 1 wicketkeeper for the Hawke Cup challenge from today as Liam Dudding (left) and Angus Schaw sharpen their slip catching. PHOTO/FILE

When wicketkeeper Scott Schaw turned up to say he has started a teaching career that must go on the front burner, coach and father Colin Schaw had no hesitation in leaving him out of the Hawke Cup challenge equation today.

"The problem I've got is you take away 12 but you can only play 11 whereas in the other [Furlong Cup qualifying] games you can," says coach Schaw who is opting for top-order batsman and prolific run scorer Matt Edmondson to slip on the gloves behind the stumps.

But the coach still had some reservations about the 23-year-old Big Barrel Napier Technical Old Boys player keeping all day at Bay Oval and then having to open batting when they play a three-day match from today against Bay of Plenty in Mt Maunganui.

"Matt will bat at No 3," says Schaw of Edmondson who has carved up four centuries this summer, including two for NTOB and one each for the Bay and Central Districts A, for an overall eight in his career.

Schaw, who assures players there won't be a chop-and-change policy if they don't perform in a game, says technically son Scott hasn't been "dropped" but left out because he regards his career as vital.

Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay batsmen Rupert Young is the back-up wicketkeeper this weekend.

The other change is Bayley's Real Estate left-arm batsman James Field coming in while CHB seamer Charlie Robson leaves and You Travel Taradale CC counterpart Ben Stoyanoff returns from a knee injury.

Schaw is blessed in the spin attack with CHB pair of GC Pretorius and Angus Schaw as well as Jayden Lennox (NTOB) and Bradley Schmulian (Havelock North).

"With all those allrounders that helps me carry an extra batsman so that's probably the reason James Field has got the opportunity," he says, believing Field has played well but been unlucky not to make the lineup more often in Furlong Cup matches.

While he didn't receive any Central Districts Stags from coach Heinrich Malan, Schaw says the Bay men will be dedicating their challenge from today to all those players, including non-Stags, who have earned them the rite of passage to thrown down the gauntlet.

Having inspected the ground yesterday, Schaw says because the wicket is under covers if the Bay win the toss they will shine the ball to make the most of any moisture, considering the next three days will be super cricket days.

"We'll try to bowl them out and then try to get that first-innings [points]."

Edmondson is taking his purple patch with the bat this summer in his stride.

"I treat it like any other game and not think of the occasion too much," says the Victoria University final-year accounting degree student.

Edmondson doesn't intend to think about things too much.

He attributes his form to a good workout over last winter, including some time with CD director of cricket Craig Ross.

Edmondson has been refining a few issues pertaining to technical matters as well as his confidence.

"I feel very strong everywhere at the moment," says the former Napier Boys' High School pupil when asked what facet of his batting prowess stands out most.

Embracing an assertive intent when asking for middle and leg at the batting crease is imperative.

"It's a bit hard to describe but I want to play positively - not playing reckless shots in going after the bad balls and all that."

He highlights the collective desire to earn the right for another challenge on the heels of last summer when they took the symbol of minor cricket supremacy from North Otago in Oamaru last February, dedicating it to the late Mike Shrimpton, a Bay and CD stalwart.

However, the Bay lost it in their first defence to BOP at Nelson Park a fortnight later as captain Peter Drysdale revealed after three days of play that he was camouflaging a broken finger.

"We had to fight for it but, yeah, we got there," said Edmondson of the highway project this summer that included negotiating dicey weather for first-innings points.

He saluted coach Schaw for injecting belief in every player and discussing issues with them on a one-to-one basis.

Edmondson hasn't been immersing himself in the fountain of cricket, preferring to switch off completely from talking shop between training and matches this season.

"I've been really busy with cricket so I've been trying to relax on the days I have off, I guess, but I've trained a lot since New Year and I haven't had much of a break."

He hasn't played at the Bay Oval and suspects none of his Bay teammates have either.

"Last time we were here we played at a different ground," he says of a preseason hit out late last year.

Edmondson believes it'll be a flat wicket so it shouldn't vary much from other strips this summer.

"I reckon they are beat-able . In a three-dayer everyone just has to keep fighting, really," he says of a side that has a history of defending the cup four times and a fortnight ago repelled a Counties Manukau challenge on the foundation of a first-innings dig of 701 as Yorkshire professional Alex Lees rewrote BOP history with an all-time highest score of 223.

Edmondson was always on a collision course with cricket. The family lived just a stone's throw away from Nelson Park and father Barry used to take him down for a hit in the nets.

He is hoping CD coach Malan is watching him against a shadow first-class BOP side but he has no intentions of "getting ahead" of himself.

"It's tough to play at that level so I just have to keep going for Hawke's Bay."

■ BAY OF PLENTY: Peter Drysdale (c), Tom MacRury, Alex Lees, Ben Musgrave, Joe Carter, Chris Atkinson, Tim Clarke, Iman Singh, Sean Davey, Tony Goodin, Donovan Deeble, Brenton Thompson.
Coach: Graeme Aldridge.

■ HAWKE'S BAY: Jacob Smith (c), James Field, Matt Edmondson (wk), Rupert Young, Bradley Schmulian, Indika Senarathne, Angus Schaw, GC Pretorius, Jayden Lennox, Liam Rukuwai, Liam Dudding, Ben Stoyanoff.
Coach: Colin Schaw.