Cricket: Demons exorcised, Hawke Cup next

HAPPINESS IS .... Hawke's Bay senior men lifting the Chapple Cup in Napier yesterday. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

ON paper they were expected to deliver and so it came to pass yesterday when Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team made short work of Manawatu in the Chapple Cup final to become this year's champions.

"It's probably the best Hawke's Bay attack I've ever seen in my career," Manawatu coach Michael Mason said, soon after the Pay Excellence-sponsored Bay team crushed his defending champions by six wickets at Nelson Park, Napier, to claim the bragging rights to the annual Central Districts inter-district one-day tournament.

Mason said the Bay bowlers put the ball in the right areas and caught any balls lofted straight off the bat well, bar grassing one after the hosts won the toss and had Manawatu back in the pavilion for a petty cash total of 105 runs.

"I think they'd be very proud of their attack," Mason said, although he felt his bowlers were guilty of bowling too full in the beginning to ease the pressure off the Bay batsmen.

The former Black Caps seamer said Manawatu's paltry total was never going to be defendable.

"You'll just have to try your best with that kind kind of total and just hope, really," Mason said.

Proven Devon Hotel CD seamer Andrew Mathieson and spinner Ajaz Patel spearheaded the Bay's bowling attack with three wickets while fellow new-contract Stag Blair Tickner and Cornwall seamer Liam Dudding took two each to exorcise their demons of last year when they finished third.

Bay skipper Jacob Smith eventually came to the party with a match-winning knock of 65 runs and fellow opener Indika Senarathne's 22 after first drop Matt Edmondson became the most consistent Bay batsman in the tourney despite his measly two runs in the final as the winners eclipsed the total with 111-4 from just 23 overs.

Bay coach Colin Schaw lauded his spittle shiners, mindful they got the best of the wicket in the final after having to pad up first twice in the first two days.

"Blair Tickner, Liam Dudding and Andrew Mathieson were always in the hunt for wickets with the guys taking catches behind so it was a brilliant effort," Schaw said.

Seamer Ben Stoyanoff had missed out in the final simply because of his concern with bolstering the batting line up considering the top and middle order didn't really fire.

"Ben would have been in the attack for any other association but you have Ticks, Dudds and Matho who are all first-class bowlers and Ajaz and GC [Pretorius] for depth."

With the Hawke Cup, the symbol of minor association supremacy, looming in the second week of next month against Horowhenua-Kapiti at Nelson park, Schaw was already focusing on batting but balanced that concern with juicy decks in the early stages of the summer.

"Matt Edmondson batted really well for us so I hope he continues that into Hawke Cup and for higher honours."

Schaw said Dudding was batting at No 3 for his club so coming in at No 11 for the Bay spoke volumes.

"I'm not too concerned because we were there and done it last summer," he said of his men who won the Hawke Cup but couldn't hang on to it.

The Bay play a red-ball BOP away this Saturday after the prem club round three here on Friday this Labour Day weekend and BOP again in a one-dayer on Sunday.

Schaw said winning the inter-district Furlong Cup was their first challenge but he was prepared to lose some of his players to CD.

The Bay will miss the services of seamer Kurt Richards who is unavailable this season for rep duties.

Despite some lean pickings, Schaw emphasised axing players wasn't on his agenda as he intended to provide peace of mind with some consistency in selections.