Cricket: Rain calls halt with CD Stags struggling

Persistent drizzle and rain saved the struggling Central Stags from defeat.

It was a stubborn stand-off at Saxton Oval, Nelson, yesterday with the rain gods playing a game of their own.

It seemed as if the celestial powers lost interest, prompting the umpires to abandon the first-class Budget Rental Plunket Shield affair at 6.20pm after yet another rain delay.

Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags could be excused for coming away feeling like they had won the match much to the Canterbury Kings' dismay but, as any lover of the code will tell you, "that's cricket".

Needing 264 runs yesterday amid persistent drizzle and ground delays, the William Young-captained CD batsmen came and went, punctuated by rain, until the last wicket when Young (66 not out) and injured Seth Rance (20 not out) remained defiant with the score at 278-9 in the third session.

The defining drizzle came at 5.27pm but coach Heinrich Malan said it did not feel like a win at all as they remained winless in the four-day format.

"It's still pretty disappointing because we didn't come to the party from a batting point of view," Malan lamented, adding the target yesterday was reachable but Young was unable to find anyone to hang around with him higher up the order.

He felt CD batsmen had to ask some hard questions before they host the Wellington Firebirds in the sixth round in Napier from Saturday, although the forecast is for rain.

He said opener Ben Smith, who top-scored with 78 runs, was unlucky to go out to Todd Astle, ballooning a shot from short leg to mid wicket for a catch.

Otherwise, the Stags had played enough cricket to deliver the goods, he said.