Cricket: Want to lift cup then beat us first

Kieran Noema-Barnett (right) found the ideal platform to be aggressive yesterday in Gisborne. Photo / Getty Images

If there were any demons to be exorcised in the Central Districts Stags constitution then yesterday they were served a blunt eviction notice in Gisborne.

The Devon Hotel-sponsored side's 159-run victory at the Harry Barker Reserve put to bed any doubts that their round two-loss to the Northern Districts Knights was an aberration. The Heinrich Malan-coached Stags also atoned themselves on the hosts' terms, after ND won the toss and put CD in the Ford Trophy limited-overs match.

The total at the end of the Kruger van Wyk-captained CD innings must have been overwhelming for the James Pamment-coached Knights - 326-3 in 50 overs. Opener George Worker scored 118 from 136 balls while No.4 William Young was 101 not out from 87 deliveries.

Veteran opener Jamie How departed early for a run while No.3 Dean Robinson, in his first one-dayer this summer, persevered for 23 from 48 balls.

No.5 Kieran Noema-Barnett then added a quick-fire unbeaten 66 runs from 31 balls in an innings that yielded 21 boundaries and seven sixes.

"We played well. Will and George had a great partnership and laid the foundation for us to attack at the end," English county cricket-bound Noema-Barnett said.

With so many wickets in hand, he had the licence to be aggressive.

"It wasn't an easy wicket so we had a bit of luck," Noema-Barnett said, adding the greenish top had browned off and didn't offer a "friendly" pace.

"If the bowlers put it in the right areas then it had a few tricks in it."

The CD innings wasn't premeditated but was simply a case of batsmen adjusting to the conditions.

The hosts' run chase started well, albeit conservatively, with openers Anton Devcich and Dean Brownlie ticking things over.

They showed Black Caps test seamer Doug Bracewell respect while getting stuck into the others.

However, the departure of Devcich for 54 runs triggered off a mini-avalanche as Brad Wilson (duck), Daryl Mitchell (2 runs) and test century maker and captain BJ Watling (1) came and went in quick succession.

Mitchell Santner tried to consolidate but Andrew Mathieson rattled Brownlie's furniture for 57.

Another collapse took hold, Santner out for 18 and the remaining batsmen, bar No.10 Anurag Verma (21no), posted scores resembling a bargain-basement grocery bill.

All the bowlers, bar former ND seamer Mathieson who took 3-36, were below a shade more than for runs an over.

"The bowlers came back and put the screws on after about 19 overs," Noema-Barnett said as ND, minus six players in the Black Caps World Cup mix, were skittled for 167 runs in 39.4 overs.

The Stags have jumped back to the top of the table above Auckland Aces but third-placed Otago Volts and ND should have no qualms about making the playoffs after two more rounds.

"Heinrich was positive and pretty much just said to us to keep on keeping on," Noema-Barnett said.

The Volts host last-placed Canterbury Kings in Dunedin today before rolling out the welcome mat for the Stags at the University Oval on Sunday.

With just one loss to date, the Volts are the only team the Stags have yet to play.

The Aces host the Knights at Eden Park No.2 on Sunday while the Firebirds will play the Kings at the Basin Reserve on the same day to decide who are likely to be the woodenspoon holders in the competition in the 2014-15 season after just one victory each.

CD will travel to the Basin Reserve on Wednesday, January 21, in the final round of matches before the preliminary finals begin on Saturday, January 24, between the top-four qualifiers.

Another elimination playoffs will be played on Wednesday, January 28, before the grand final on Sunday, February 1.