One minute Joseph Yovich was trying to crack the cover off the ball, the next his pre-game net session at the Basin Reserve in Wellington ended with him lying in a crumpled heap on the ground and being whisked off to hospital.
Now the long-serving Northern Districts all-round cricketer is battling
to get to the startline for their much-anticipated appearance at the new Cobham Oval in Whangarei.
Yovich suffered a pinched nerve in his neck just moments before ND took the pitch in a State Shield 50-over match against Wellington in Wellington at the weekend.
It caused enough concern to not only rule him out of the crucial fixture but also left Yovich in a neck brace for two days and out of all cricket until they arrive in Whangarei on Monday.
Only then will Yovich know for sure if he will make the cut for a first class cricket double header at his hometown venue - a 20/20 match on Monday and a State Shield encounter two days later, against Canterbury.
"I went down in a heap," Yovich said. "I was giving it the Dean Lonergan shuffle and ended up in an ambulance.
"I felt a bit funny for a couple of days and thought nothing of it but then I was in having a net session and went to crack one and felt a twinge, the next minute it was all over."
"It was bad enough to put me in hospital, and I have done all the right things since trying to look after it. I'll be back for the game in Whangarei, I'm pretty determined to be there for that, but I'm out for the 20/20 game against Auckland in between times."
There are two changes to the ND squad to play Auckland in a State Shield game in Auckland today and a 20/20 game later this week. Grant Robinson replaces Daniel Flynn and Sam McLeod is in as 12th man.
But Yovich is still in the mix once he gets back from injury.
It will be a huge disappointment for Yovich if he is ruled out of next week's games as they will also mark the first class debut of the new Cobham Oval, with three days of cricketing celebration organised to mark the event.
Yovich is one of a handful of Northland cricketers involved in the ND squad, which also includes Black Caps cricketer James Marshall as captain and ex-pat Welshman Alun Evans.
There is a chance too that ND could be playing for a shot at the 20/20 title in the game against Canterbury in Whangarei on Monday - providing, that is, they beat Auckland in Auckland this week.
"The plan is to be in the running for the 20/20 title when we come north to Whangarei. That's the way I'd like it to go anyway," Yovich said.
ND are out of contention in the State Shield though. The game against Canterbury on Wednesday will be for the wooden spoon.
ND squad to play Auckland today:
James Marshall (captain), Graeme Aldridge, Brad Arnel, Ian Butler, Alun Evans, Peter McGlashan , S. McLeod, Bruce Martin, Mark Orchard, Grant Robinson, Daryl Tuffey, BJ. Watling.
One minute Joseph Yovich was trying to crack the cover off the ball, the next his pre-game net session at the Basin Reserve in Wellington ended with him lying in a crumpled heap on the ground and being whisked off to hospital.
Now the long-serving Northern Districts all-round cricketer is battling
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