Cricket: Currency of wickets eclipses runs

OOPSY DAISY: Indika Senarathne, who top scored with the bat for Hawke's Bay, grasses one and Christian Leopard in the background agonises. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

RUNS are traditionally the currency in demand in the world of head groundsman Phil Stoyanoff in Napier but, surprisingly, it's the wickets that are threatening to devalue the profits from the bat during the Hawke Cup clash at Nelson Park.

Hawke Cup holders Pay Excellence Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team were in all sorts of trouble after they lost the toss and were back in the pavilion for a paltry 162 runs in their first innings.

However, the Jacob Smith-skippered hosts clawed their way back with the ball after the Bay of Plenty also failed to make inroads with the bat.

At stumps, the challengers were 51 runs shy of eclipsing the total for the loss of five wickets in their quest of first-innings points as an insurance cover but the weather forecast suggests that won't be necessary on the account of blokes coming to terms with the philosophy of what matters most is not the deliveries you play but actually the ones you leave.

"We gave away some very cheap wickets after building partnerships," Bay coach Colin Schaw said last night.

His BOP counterpart, Graeme Aldridge, had no dramas with the wicket.

"The 15 wickets are definitely not a reflection of the wicket because it's a case of some good bowling and some-not-so-good batting," said the former Northern Districts Knights first-class player.

Both parties agreed that the match for the right to minor cricket association supremacy is in the balance.

"It's always nice to have first-innings points but we're going to have an outright result," Schaw said.

Echoed Aldridge: "It's definitely in the balance and it'll more than likely be an outright result."

No 6 Jono Boult, unbeaten on four runs, and No7/wicketkeeper Tim Clarke, not out on eight, were to resume BOP's first innings this morning.

No 5 Indika Senarathne was the top scorer for the hosts with 33 runs in the three-day match.

The coaches also agreed GC Pretorius, of South Africa, was going to dictate terms in the next two days with his spin.

"They can't pick GC at all. He's unplayable and just too good for them," Schaw said.

Aldridge agreed: "He's a bit different to what we're used to. He tends to bowl a lot of wrong uns and is quick through the air."

However, he felt his two lefthanders on the crease would adapt and BOP now knew an unknown Bay better.

Tommy Clout and Brett Hampton also claimed three wickets each for the Peter Drysdale-captained BOP side.

Jurgen Anderson was 12th man for the hosts and Chris Atkinson for BOP.