Cricket: Captain fantastic with ball in hand

Jason Trembath, Central allrounder, is in rare premier-grade form.

To say Central captain Jason Trembath leads by example would be an understatement.

The allrounder has taken an incredible 13 wickets for just 19 runs in his last three matches for premier club Central (Rotorua).

Not surprisingly, the Rotorua side have gone on to win all three of those matches - including against heavyweights Otumoetai Cadets - and are in a great position in the Williams Cup competition.

Trembath said he couldn't explain why he was taking so many wickets, but was happy his team were going well.

"I'm not sure to be honest, just after Christmas the whole team has been very focused on doing well and giving the Williams Cup a good push," he said.

"And I think all the bowlers have been putting up their hands."

Trembath, who bowls left-arm off spin, said the Central club were in a great position, having won three matches on the trot. "I can't remember the last time we won three in a row. We beat Cadets last week and that is the first time we have beaten them in 20 years in a 50-over game."

He said everyone was fully focused and enjoying their cricket.

"You can just see the excitement in the changing room. The boys are turning up an hour before they have to," he said.

"It is good to have that belief back in the changing room."

In terms of the bowling ranks, Trembath explained that they had two quicks open the bowling most weeks in Bay representative Andrew Gibbs and Tahir Afridi. Afridi has been a good addition to the Central side this year, coming from Great Britain, and took an impressive 6-23 at the weekend against Whakatane.

Trembath said they had a lot of depth in the bowling ranks and would change things up when needed, with Vaughan Blanchard and himself bowling spin.

Interestingly, Trembath is also renowned for his batting, and scored a century in the Attrill Cup before Christmas, followed by two big scores in the Baywide T20 competition.

His T20 scores included a 92 off just 58 balls against Te Puke and a 56 from no more than a dozen balls against the Bay of Plenty Indians.

Those performances helped him gain selection in the Bay of Plenty men's team late last year.

Trembath said Central's next game would be against local rivals the Bay of Plenty Indians in their round five Williams Cup match at Smallbone Park on Saturday. Only three rounds remain before the semifinals, which begin on March 21.

Currently five teams are tied at the top of the ladder on points - Central, Mount Maunganui, Cadets, Te Puke and Greerton.

The Williams Cup is the most sought-after trophy in Bay of Plenty premier cricket.