Kyle Jarvis kept his word, picking up two more scalps for a five-wicket bag and 21 runs to boot as the No11 batsman.
That's where the romantic notions ended for the Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags in two days of play when the umpires lifted the stumps at the end of the third day in Gisborne against the table-topping Northern Districts Knights.
Nevertheless, if the Alan Hunt-coached CD ever needed two reliable batsmen to weather the storm they couldn't have asked for any better combination.
No4 Mathew Sinclair, 40 not out, and No6 Kruger van Wyk, 30 not out, were to stride out after some morning rain to resume the Stags' demanding target of eclipsing 407 for victory.
CD were 138-4 in 49 overs with skipper/opener Jamie How providing 32 runs in the second innings.
Stags bowling coach and manager Lance Hamilton said CD didn't bowl well in the first innings, allowing ND to finish with 309 all out on what he considered to be a 220 offering.
"Kyle Jarvis and Bevan Small bowled well in the second innings after they were two for something [114-2 in 38 overs] overnight to knock them out [for 280 in 81.4 overs]," the former Black Caps pacemen said after ND opener Brad Wilson scored 66 runs before No3 Hamish Marshall added 51 and test wicketkeeper BJ Watling top scored with 72 runs.
"Kyle's excellent and he batted well with 21 not out so he's a good acquisition," Hamilton said of the 23-year-old Zimbabwe international. Central Districts signed the player up after the tourists' tour ended last week.
Jarvis got 5-58 from 23.5 overs, including five maidens, in the first innings then followed that up with 3-47 in the second spell.
Small got 2-71 in the first innings and 4-38 in the second.
However, CD's first innings was abysmal as ND skittled them for a paltry 183 in 61 overs on a pitch that was tricky.
No10 Stevie Smidt, who got 2-58 in the second innings, top scored with 31 at No10 with No8 Tarun Nethula, not having the best time with the ball, adding 29 while Sinclair and Van Wyk got 26 and 213, respectively.
Graeme Aldridge claimed 3-30 from 13 overs, including three maidens, while Daniel Vettori got 26-1 from 11 frugal overs, including five maidens.
"With our batsmen facing a near test line-up they exploited the conditions and bowled better to show our guys where to put the ball," Hamilton said.
CD needed to see through the first session to minimise any damage.
It didn't help that opening batsman Dean Robinson contracted food poisoning on Saturday night and lay in bed recovering.
Ben Smith was promoted to open while with Carl Cachopa shuffling up to No3.
"We need to deny them wickets first and if we're close to winning then we'll think about going for it," Hamilton said.