Cricket: ND feast on looseners

Liam Dudding took 2-85 on debut for CD yesterday.

Another game and yet another "weird" looking greenish wicket that turned out to be deceptively friendly towards batsmen in first-class cricket yesterday at Seddon Park, Hamilton.

Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags skipper William Young won the toss and instinctively chose to bowl but a bat-savvy Sky City Northern Districts Knights exposed the lie at Seddon Park with 4-330 from 95 overs on day one of the Budget Rental Plunket Shield match.

"It's a weird thing because even the opposition agreed it was a funny-looking wicket given they had hit 300-odd runs at the end of the day," CD coach Heinrich Malan said last night.

"But even if you look at some of the test wickets this summer they also were batter friendly," Malan said.

However, he said Young's decision to bowl was the right one although the Stags bowlers were guilty of lacking discipline in their line and length, on and off, throughout the day.

The beneficiaries of CD's indiscipline was Knights opener/captain Daniel Flynn who scored 158 runs from 238 balls, including 26 boundaries.

Ominously, fellow Bay of Plenty cricketer Bharat Popli is unbeaten on 138 from 286 balls, including 22 fours, although it seems fatigue had set in as CD fielders gave him two lives after he carved up his century.

Malan said test bowler Doug Bracewell, returning froim injury, delivered what he was renowned for, putting the ball in good areas and so did Heretuanga Building Society Cornwall CC seamer Liam Dudding, who made his debut yesterday.

"Liam bowled very well for a young guy after three or four full ones in the first over when he got punished but he bowled to Popli quite well, beating his bat a few times."

Dudding claimed 2-85 from 23 overs, including five maidens, while Bracewell was the most frugal with 2-27 from 14 overs, including six maidens.

It was good to make my debut," said Dudding in his typical low-key fashion but revealed he was more confident of starting this time than the previous game when he was 12th man.

The 21-year-old right-arm memdium/fast bowler didn't relish the dismissal of Flynn, caught "kind of at straight midwicket" as much as he did bowling Anton Devcich around the legs for a duck.

Nevertheless, Dudding echoed the sentiments of Malan that the Stags "need to execute things much better" and "stick to our plans" today if they were to stymie the hosts' first innings.

Malan said CD didn't hit their straps from ball one and "didn't cover ourselves too much in glory today".

"We conceded something like 52 boundaries and that's a massive percentage," he said, emphasising loose deliveries negated good ones.