Hamish Bidwell
A "very confident" Graham Barlow flew to New Plymouth this morning to meet up with his side ahead of Saturday's State Shield final against Northern Districts at Pukekura Park.
The Central Districts coach kept an eye on yesterday's ND-Canterbury semifinal and says he and the Stags team are confident of
retaining their domestic one-day title.
While there were dangermen in the ND team, his team had shown all season they were the most consistent and well-balanced in the country.
"I suppose the obvious ones are Vettori, Tuffey and maybe Hamish Marshall," Barlow said.
"They've got a good bowling unit but their batting has been a little brittle at times and Daniel (Vettori) has made a big difference there. Obviously we talk about the opposition, but to be honest, if we do our jobs correctly then we shouldn't have too many problems."
A year ago, they beat Canterbury in Christchurch after a whirlwind start from Craig Spearman, Jamie How and Ross Taylor as the Stags posted 354 for five. That sort of carnage has been in short supply this season as CD have tended to grind out victories, with everyone chipping in. That has been reflected in the State Shield statistics, where four players feature in the top-10 scorers and four in the wicket takers.
Barlow says that consistency throughout the side should be the difference between the finalists.
"If you look at how we've played, there's been contributions right across the board, with one or two players coming up with something in each game. The other thing is that our fielding has certainly improved, too."
With the team having disbanded following Sunday's win over Wellington, Barlow said it was difficult to gauge the mood of the squad, but with so many experienced players, he was certain they would be mentally ready.
