CRICKET - Yovich confident of Knights' chances

In a first-class cricket career that is now 11 years in the making Joseph Yovich has developed a reputation as a feisty sportsman who has that streak of dogged determination.
There are very few representative sportspeople who could rival Yovich when it comes to dedication to his sport and loyalty to his teammates.
But considering the current status of his beloved Northern Districts Knights cricket team in the State Shield one-day competition right now, even this long serving campaigner would have good reason to be a little down in the dumps.
Not Yovich though.
The Knights might be languishing at the bottom of the one-day competition, having yet to register a win and after copping three rather severe hidings, but Yovich still reckons they have a chance to make their mark in this year's championship.
Starting, he predicted, when the Knights strode out at Owen Delaney Park in Taupo to play the Wellington Firebirds today.
"If you don't think you have got a chance you might as well pack up your tent and bugger off home, and we're not about to start doing that," Yovich said.
"We have been in exactly this position in the one day competition before and that year we turned around, won the last six games - including the final - on the trot and won the competition," he said.
"It is not as if we haven't had opportunities to do the business, but we just have to get a bit of momentum and in one-day stuff if you get some of that, next minute, you are away and running."
The thing is, the Knights have picked the top-of-the-table outfit to try and rekindle their one-day chances against as the Firebirds, led by former Northland cricketer Michael Parlane, are three from three and sitting pretty at the top of the one-day standings.
The Firebirds have thrashed the Otago Volts by nine wickets, have ignored weather interruptions to win the other two games and are in Taupo armed with a very impressive batting line-up.
The Knights have yet to find a middle-of-the-order batting combination to fill the void left by the Marshall twins, James and Hamish, who are on national duty.
They are also trying to cope without a recognised spinner after Bruce Martin cried off injured, and their bowlers are being plundered by opposition batsmen.
"There are always going to be guys coming and going with selections and injuries, but I think we have been hit particularly hard for the one-day competition. But we haven't lost faith yet, we are still working very hard and are keen to take the game to Wellington," Yovich said.
"There is still this strong belief that we can turn this around."