Cricket: Central Hawke's Bay, Havelock North badly want to etch name on one-day trophy

Should CHB prevail today Dominic Thompson will create history as the captain who led his troops to their maiden one-day premier men's club title in Hawke's Bay. Photo/Paul Taylor

Yes, you're reading this right — Central Hawke's Bay CC and Havelock North CC are crossing bats in the final of the Hawke's Bay premier men's club final in Napier today.

Fourth qualifiers Ruahine Motors CHB will face second qualifiers Bayley's Real Estate Havelock North from 11am at Nelson Park to see who will etch their names on the MJF Shrimpton Memorial Trophy in the final format of Property Brokers competition this season.

CHB beat Complete Flooring Napier Technical Old Boys (NTOB) by 38 runs at Forest Gate Domain in Ongaonga in one semifinal and the villagers pipped The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist (NOBM) by 13 runs in the other playoff match at Anderson Park, Havelock, last Saturday.

"It's good to beat Tech who were top qualifiers as the fourth qualifiers, so it's good to be in the final or any final, really," says CHB captain Dominic Thompson whose players can't recall their club ever winning the limited-overs competition.

However, Hawke's Bay Cricket CEO Craig Findlay says CHB are the only team who have not etched their name on the silverware since the competition began in 1989-90.

NTOB have won it eight times, You Travel Taradale CC and Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall CC four each, Havelock North twice and NOBM once.

"It's quite surprising as Central have provided several Hawke's Bay senior reps during that time," says Findlay. "They've probably underachieved. I think having Daniel Drepaul back this year as coach is a big part of their success."

Thompson says knockout games have no regard for where teams finish after the round-robin phase on the table so they went in against the perennial favourites with a healthy dose of optimism and have some fun.

Their rain-interrupted affair was reduced to 32 overs while the other semifinal was protracted to 28 overs.

"It'll be good to win the tile but once it gets to the semifinal or final time it doesn't matter where you finish on the table — as long as you can keep winning."

Havelock North don't need any extra motivation either after they lost last season's one-day final to Taradale when the game was abandoned and the latter claimed the title as top qualifiers.

"It was frustrating when it was rained off last [summer] so the guys have worked really hard to give us another chance to put things right this season," says Havelock North captain/coach David Castle.

Dominic Thompson (left) and David Castle have mutual respect for each other's teams before the limited-over final at Nelson Park, Napier, today. Photo/supplied

Castle says NOBM were a quality side last Saturday so the villagers considered themselves lucky to be on the right side of the ledger.

The 31-year-old, in his second summer at helm of the side and a paid club mentor, says have bolstered their ranks with the return of players such as Ruan Markram and Graeme Tryon as allrounders.

"Probably the biggest thing in our side is the way we've worked as a team with 11 guys all moving in the same direction rather than little factions pulling in different directions, which can happen in club cricket."

Castle says the young and seasoned players have found common ground to work as a unit.

Thompson says CHB pack some useful allrounders through the middle order and can bat in the top order as well.

"We also have good fielders who can back up our bowlers for a well balanced team."

The 20-year-old middle-order batsman says they have the services of Central Districts Stags allrounder Joshua Clarkson who is from Nelson but is based in Napier.

CHB are aware of what Havelock North will bring to the strip of contention in the mould of Stags newbie Bradley Schmulian.

"They have first-class players like Brad to help them so their strength is perhaps their batting because they've put on a few big totals this year so we'll be trying to minimise their scoring areas and take their big players out," says Thompson who echoes the edict of forgetting who's at the batting crease and simply focusing on playing the game ball by ball.

Winning the bragging rights will have an immense spinoff for not just the players but also the rural club's past members.

They already have the Kilbirnie Sports Twenty20 crown, which they share with Onslow CC (Wellington) last October after rain dictated terms, and are the 2017-18 HB T20 Murray McKearney Memorial Cup holders.

Havelock North were runners-up in the 110-over format, which Castle believes they should have won but Cornwall spoilt that party when they skittled them for 90 runs.

"In that format, which can be a bit tricky, we were very much a step above most of the other teams."

They didn't fare well in the T20s with just one win but made their presence felt in going down to NTOB in the NZ Knockout Cup qualifying final just before Christmas.

"We had a 'chaseable' target of 220 and we were all out for 190."

However, Castle plays down any suggestions that his men have been willow shy when push came to shove in crunch matches.

"I think we've shown we're a quality side and we can attack on any given day."

He anticipates CHB to be at their "usual" best despite some off-field friendships between players from both sides.

"We are expecting them to come at us pretty hard with the bat — they usually do — to keep us in the game with a few chances.

"They will bolster their side with the return of some rep players from CD so it'll be a good challenge for us."

Castle labelled Schmulian "class" at club level because his mental game was at a different echelon.

While South African import Pretorius can be a handful with the ball he suspects they served him too many spin deliveries the last time they played because he had a good knock with the bat.

"We'll probably look to target him with a lot more pace and we know what Gus brings and he is aggressive and he'll keep us in the game so we're not too worried in that front," he says of Bay men's senior representative spinner Angus Schaw.

No doubt the Nelson Park wickets will be batting tracks although head groundsman Phil Stoyanoff has recently had a penchant for offering bowlers some traction.

"It's a good ground there and, I think, all teams enjoy playing there, to be honest," Thompson says, looking forward to CHB spinners GC Pretorius and Angus Schaw eking out some dot balls in the middle overs to restrict the opposition's total.

Castle says both teams deserve to be in the final and should they find their class in the decider it'll make for a cracker clash today.

He sees the Nelson Park as a neutral venue where the pitch is unlikely to deviate much later in the day.

■ CENTRAL HAWKE'S BAY: Dominic Thompson (c), Scott Schaw (wk), Angus Schaw, GC Pretorius, Hamish Lewis, Joshua Clarkson, James Mackie, Toby Richardson, Lance Baker, Richard Lansdown, Jack Robson, Matt Hilson.
Coach: Daniel Drepaul.

■ HAVELOCK NORTH: Dave Castle (c), Ben Fair, James Field, Graeme Tryon, Bradley Schmulian, Ruan Markram, Will Clark, Jono Whitley, Angus Henderson (wk), Jared Priest, Rhythm Sharma.
12th man: Paul Young.
Coach: David Castle.