The advent of the provincial A competition has been a success story for New Zealand cricket. That's the view of Central Districts A coach Scott Briasco, whose team commenced a three-day match against their Wellington counterparts at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval in Masterton yesterday. Briasco said the provincial A series, whichinvolves each of the State championship sides, provided an ideal opportunity for the so-called 'second tier' players to show they had both the skills and attitude necessary to make an impact at a higher level than Hawke Cup or Chapple Cup games. "It's a chance to judge their capabilities, both on and off the field," Briasco said. "It's serious stuff, it's not a holiday, that's for sure." Reflecting on the selection of the current Central Districts A side, which includes Wairarapa players Sam Curtis and Seth Rance, Briasco said that while most of the squad were relative youngsters age was not an important part of the selection criteria "It's more about selecting players who we see as having the potential to one day participate in the State championship, that's where the main emphasis is," he said. "Some players mature later than others so it wouldn't make sense to have any deliberate policy on the age factor, would it?" Briasco is in his fifth year as Central Districts A coach and he has always encouraged his side to play an attractive brand of cricket, a brand which enables each individual in the team to fully utilise their talents. "Obviously it's nice to win, and that's always the prime objective, but at the same time it would negate the value of this competition if the players weren't allowed to express themselves in a positive vein," he said. "So there are times when risks have to be taken and the end result mightn't always tell the merits of the two teams, that's just the way it is." Briasco said he had received favourable reports on the state of the Queen Elizabeth Park Oval pitch after Hawke Cup qualifying and Chapple Cup matches had been played there last weekend. "They tell me the bowlers had to work hard for their wickets and that suggests a good batting surface, which is pretty much what we want," he said.
