Cricket: Stags strike Firebirds twice to make eliminator final

Stags seamer Blair Tickner is the leading wicket taker in the Super Smash T20 competition this summer. Photo/Photosport

Winning was always on the agenda but one can only assume the Central Districts Stags had an eye on how the proceedings were unfolding at Seddon Park, Hamilton, yesterday.

Mmm ... well, it was a case of yes but no if you ask the Stags' top wicket taker, Blair Tickner, after CD beat the Wellington Firebirds by 29 runs in the final round of Burger King Super Smash Twenty20 competition yesterday to book a berth in the eliminator final against the Auckland Aces at Eden Park outer oval on Wednesday.

"To be honest, we were just trying to win our game because we knew that ND are playing well so everything went our way," said the 24-year-old Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay premier club cricketer, revealing CD coach Heinrich Malan and captain William Young were mindful of the run rate had the Canterbury Kings upset the Knights at Seddon Park in the final round yesterday.

"It's nice to finish third and come into the semifinals on Wednesday," he said.

Symbolically it was an emphatic statement from the Stags who claimed their first back-to-back double header result against any opposition this summer in the T20 format, after beating Wellington twice.

The Knights beat the Kings by three wickets yesterday to take the guess work out of the playoffs by having to fall back to the net run rate for third place.

CD lost in the opening round to the Aces in New Plymouth but a lot has changed since.

"We just want to continue with some aggressive batting and bowling and have some fun so if everything comes together we should win nine out of 10 games."

Malan was happy, he said, impressing on the players to remain consistent.

Tickner felt CD's total of 194-6 in their allotted 20 overs was a par score for the Basin Reserve strip yesterday.

"We knew they would have been pushed for a 200 score if we had taken some early wickets," he said.

The Stags, he felt, had done a sterling job in stifling them in their run chase to 165-5.

"It was a pretty hard wicket to get used to the pace earlier on but it worked out in the end and we kept on bowling tight and putting the pressure on them."

Tickner and Ben Wheeler took two wickets each but others also made life difficult for the defending champions by staying under the 10 runs an over threshold of frugality.

"Our batsmen at the top end scored a few runs so it all came together at once for a good score."

Opener Jesse Ryder found his spark again with 52 runs while Tom Bruce had the best strike rate of 46 runs from 20 balls. Opener George Worker added 38.

Tickner is the leading T20 wicket taker, with 18 scalps, and has performed like a seasoned campaigner in all three formats despite only making his debut two summers ago.

"I'm just hitting a good length and then changing my pace in Twenty20 but I'm just happy taking wickets and heading towards the result so I'm not concentrating on the wickets side," said the right-arm seamer who sits five scalps above Andy Ellis and Ben Lister.

A jovial Tickner was simply happy to be on the park in all three formats but agreed a stint with the Black Caps was why they played the game although, in keeping with the team mantra, toiling for CD always took precedence.

"I wake up every morning to try to win trophies for the boys so I'm pretty happy," he said.