Cricket: Stags seamers stifle Knights

DEFIANCE: CD bowler Bevan Small waits for a fielder to rifle the ball to the stumps as ND century maker Tim Seifert scoots past in Napier. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

THE KNIGHTS were in distress and you can blame the maidens for that when the domestic Plunket Shield cricket resumed yesterday in Napier.

The Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags seamers delivered 15 unblemished overs between them to stifle the SkyCity Northern Districts Knights batsmen at McLean Park on day one of the fourth round of the Budget Rental-sponsored four-day match.

"We were thinking 300 or 350-plus total would have been okay on a pitch that had a bit of life so to get early easy wickets, to have them all out for 260 was even better," said CD new-ball merchant Seth Rance last night at stumps as the visitors were skittled in 93.4 overs.

Stags skipper William Young elected to shine the ball after the coin fell his way and didn't hesitate to have the Knights padding up on an uncharacteristically bowler-friendly strip after head groundsman Phil Stoyanoff left a greenish tinge on it.

Rance, who took 3-61 off 23 overs including six maidens, said the CD seamers didn't need a second invite on a piece of real estate that is renowned for its benign batting traits.

"We had a plan to bowl tight not give them anything too loose to run away with for a decent first-innings total," said the 28-year-old from Wairarapa who has staked his claim this summer as the spearhead of CD's bowling attack, especially with Doug Bracewell giving the revolving turnstile of Black Caps squad selection a good go.

Manawatu seamer Bevan Small, at first change, took 3-43 and with it the frugality stakes.

Newbie Navin Patel, also of Manawatu, took 2-54, including five maidens from 21 overs, to keep the foot on the throat of the ND batsmen in tandem with Rance.

GO-TO MAN: Seth Rance.

But it wasn't all doom and gloom for the Knights, who were in the red-faced vicinity of 5-55, when wicketkeeper Tim Seifert came to their rescue to carve up his maiden first-class century.

The middle-order batsmen brought up his 100 from 177 balls, including nine boundaries and a six, but he had his moments, especially after the Stags took the new ball in the 80th over.

"He batted well but, to be fair, he was in trouble and we dropped him a couple of times," said Rance of the No7 batsman who forged a decent partnership with Scott Kuggeleijn (45 runs) before Small claimed both their scalps.

CD wicketkeeper Dane Cleaver took three catches behind the stumps off Rance's deliveries although the bowler wasn't convinced he needed to shout him a couple of drinks when play ends on Monday.

"They were nice and easy catches so he didn't have to do much work," he said.

The forecast is for sporadic rain today but not so promising tomorrow.

However, Rance said the plan for the Heinrich Malan-coached Stags was dig their toes into the batting crease into a good part of tomorrow as both sides seek their first outright win in the format.

No doubt, the CD batsmen will have to contend with Black Caps seamer Tim Southee increasing his load to return to the Black Caps test equation against Australia.

"There's still a little bit of life in that wicket so we'll need to score a good first-innings total."

In other games yesterday, former England international Scott Borthwick scored a century on his first day on the job as a Wellington Firebird against the SBS Bank Otago Volts at Queenstown Events Centre.

Borthwick was unbeaten on 102 at stumps as the Firebirds will resume today on 280-7.

At Hagley Oval, Christchurch, the Canterbury Kings batsmen were all out for 294 but not before Tim Johnston, at No9, made a career-best 76 off 64 deliveries. Tom Latham made 65 runs before falling to Colin De Grandhomme.

At stumps, the Mondiale Auckland Aces were 10-1 in reply, having lost left-hand opener Jeet Raval caught behind on the last ball of the day.