Stags chuffed to break T20 drought

CRICKET The Central Stags head into their HRV Cup Twenty20 double-header against the Canterbury Wizards at Nelson’s Saxton Oval this week, buoyed by their first win.

The Stags took a step in the right direction when they upset the top-of-the-table Northern Knights in New Plymouth on Saturday.

But now they must back it up with a win in the New Year ’s Day bash tomorrow. And the Stags will have to do it without three senior members of their squad – opening bat Jamie How, import Peter Trego and all-rounder Jacob Oram. How headed home to Palmerston North yesterday to be with his pregnant wife who is due to give birth any day now, while any hope of Trego returning from injury vanished on the weekend.

Trego was ruled out for three to four weeks with his stomach muscle tear and yesterday was on a plane back to Britain.

Stags coach Alan Hunt yesterday confirmed yesterday that Oram would not be playing the Nelson games for family reasons.

The news about Mathew Sinclair was much better.

The blow he suffered to his right wrist when fielding in the slips on Saturday was much better and Hunt expected Sinclair to play.

The Devon Hotel Stags’ 43-run win over the Knights at Pukekura Park came after three straight losses in the competition.

The Stags arrived in Nelson yesterday afternoon and play their first match of the double-header against the Canterbury Wizards tomorrow – New Year’s Day – backing up two days later.