Cricket: Stags ready to lay tarseal on Knights

Bevan Small

A glance at the cricket scoreboard reveals all the tell-tale signs of a major road construction works in progress in Whangarei.

But then you come to expect that even at the domestic level of competition in New Zealand.

Now the Devon Hotel Central Districts cricketers simply have to apply the tarseal on the Cobham Oval strip and wait for it to dry rapidly.

"They never really got away from us," was the verdict of first-change bowler Bevan Small at stumps last night after the Kruger van Wyk-skippered Stags had Northern Districts Knights at 312-7 off 90 overs.

To stay with the roadworks analogy, the Heinrich Malan-coached visitors will play a game of patience to see if potholes will start to develop on the track.

The hosts made their intentions clear soon after winning the toss - electing to bat with Scott Kuggeleijn (25 of 80 balls) and Jono Boult (27 off 37) digging in their toes at the crease before resuming this morning.

Small, who took 2-40 from 14 overs, including three maidens, impressed and the foot holes were beginning to come into play already.

"We'll have to see how it bowls up in three to four days," the seamer said, reflecting on how the Pukekura Park pitch didn't do the same.

"It'll have to break down and offer more turn."

The Knights seem to be mindful of what the wicket was going to do, with the selection of tweakers Mitchell Santner, Jono Boult as well as part-timer Anton Devcich on the wings.

Black Cap seamer Doug Bracewell gave ND grief from the outset, with opener Dean Brownlie managing only 58 runs from 69 balls after his 334-run against CD last Monday.

Devcich top scored with 61 runs from 95 balls with Santner adding 53 before falling victim to George Worker.

New kid on the block Tom Bruce claimed a wicket while Ajaz patel is the Stags' first-choice spinner.

Small classed Worker as "a handy part-timer" when considering the prospect of taking more scalps in the second dig.