Hawke's Bay fielder Brad Schmulian shows BOP English professional Alex Lees where to go at Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui, yesterday. PHOTO/NZME.
Brad Schmulian defied gravity, cleared his lungs and pointed out the changing sheds to Bay of Plenty batsman Alex Lees but the Hawke's Bay cricketer wants everyone to know he didn't say a word to the English professional.
But Schmulian didn't have to after fellow Pay Excellence Hawke's Bay senior men's representative player, Liam Dudding, ripped the heart out of the Hawke Cup holders on day one of the challenge at Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui, yesterday.
Was the Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North batsman's animated dismissal celebration premature after the white shirts lifted the bails to signal the end of play?
BOP were skittled for 170 but were sweating bullets when Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall seamer Dudding claimed the first six scalps to have the hosts at 54-7 after captain Jacob Smith won the toss.
But the heroics came from tail enders who amassed 113 runs, with No 9 Donovan Deeble carving up 61 and No 8 Brenton Thompson adding 45 on debut.
At stumps, the visitors were looking worse for wear on 70-6 off 32 overs after a well-orchestrated pace attack from the BOP quicks, with Schmulian to resume on 28 runs and No 8 Liam Rukuwai unbeaten on eight this morning.
The question is will Hawke's Bay find anyone to hang around with Schmulian, who is the last recognised batsman?
"It's a funny wicket, actually, because it's a little up and down and all of a sudden we started to get a little bit of swing in the second hour this morning," said coach Colin Schaw of a wicket that Schmulian described as having lush growth.
Schaw felt a lot of it had to do with pressure on both sides and first-innings points wouldn't matter because there would be a result after four innings.
"I believe whoever wins will have an outright because it'll go the distance," he said, but ruled out a result today, although finishing as close to the BOP total as possible was on the cards.
Schaw had a hunch the temperamental wicket would start turning today so in the second dig, his spin attack would come to the fore, although BOP hadn't used any tweakers.
He left out batsman Indika Senarathne after the Big Barrell Napier Technical Old Boys Sri Lankan import rolled his knee during the warm-up.
A cursory glance at the scoreboard almost suggests it pays not to think, let alone play like a specialist batsman.
"The guys are disappointed the way they batted in the top seven, bar Brad," he said but championed the safe hands of his players with Dudding's memorable blitzkrieg.
The 22-year-old seamer was sitting on a hat-trick but settled for three scalps in one over of his second spell.
"This is the top rep cricket haul for me," said Dudding, who has played a few white-ball matches for Central Districts Stags this summer.
Yorkshire county player Lees scored 223 on his Hawke Cup debut a fortnight ago but fell for four to trigger a major collapse.
"He came out pretty hard. He looked to be pretty positive but then I found the edge," Dudding said with a chuckle before lauding his fellow bowlers who stifled batsmen from the other end.
"It was my day today but it could have been anyone's day."
Right-hander Schmulian was excited Dudding had skinned Lees.
"I didn't say anything to him," said the South Africa-born 26-year-old, who moved from Auckland to the Bay to improve his chances of building a domestic cricket career.
He scored 28 from 47 balls in a patient knock that had only one four.
"It's quite a tricky wicket, so it's quite two paced and the odd ball is holding up, so it's a pitch on which you have to be positive and decisive with your shot selection."
Schmulian said the BOP seamers had bowled a tight line on the off stump and the Hawke's Bay top order were guilty of fishing outside it to lose their wickets.
"We've lost the chance to win the game [today]."
This morning, he expected to restart by working his way back into it by getting his eye in.
All the players below him had scored runs at premier club level, so he was confident they would hang around with him.
"Even if I don't do the job, they'll still come and give it a good go."
No doubt, Hawke's Bay still fancy their chances of a win with a lot of cricket to play yet.
"Rukuwai and I put about 25 towards the end ... so we just need to keep building on it so we can definitely do it although we may not be getting first-innings [points]."