Whitaker Civil Engineering Taranaki XII start their Hawke Cup defence this morning

Two weeks after taking down Hawkes Bay, traditionally the biggest and best of the Central Districts provinces, Whitaker Civil Engineering Taranaki will defend the Hawke Cup against Hamilton, the most successful Hawke Cup team of all since 2000.

They have had their hands on the Hawke Cup in eleven of the previous 25 seasons, a record which indicates a huge talent pool of players, and high expectations. It will be a cracker for sure.

There is never any let up when it comes to playing a Hawke Cup game. It is all about three tough, concentrated days, where there is an opportunity to create your own history. Every provincial player who has played in a challenge or defence has stories to tell, and the better the performance, the truer the story that is told.

On board prior to Friday’s start of play, breakfasting with the current squad, will be just a few from the past with their own tales.

The King of Kings, Alistar Jordan, selected in the New Zealand Hawke Cup team of the Century in 2011, will be cooking the scrambled eggs, while Taranaki’s most successful Hawke Cup captain, still alive today that is, Rodney Brown, may well be on the BBQ.

All the attendees have had an involvement with the cup.

Defending the Hawke Cup is the biggest challenge of them all and is the want of every representative cricketer in the country. Taranaki is no exception.

There is excitement and energy born out of achieving six victories on the trot, the last one being the emphatic win to lift the Hawke Cup for the first time in 18 seasons.

Taranaki are ready to go headfirst into battle. This is Taranaki’s time.

Against Hawkes Bay there were handful of players who stood out, none more so than the big, bruising quick bowlers, Ryan Watson and Ben Frewin. These two smashed through a strong batting lineup, created confusion in the HB ranks, and ultimately a declaration that opened the door for a victory.

When it was time to bat, they both made emphatic contributions, which ensured Taranaki’s first innings lead was near the hundred mark.

They strode Nelson Park like colossi. They have now created great stories to tell.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Rupert Young was another to contribute handsomely, grabbing five catches, three up at the stumps, and playing a polished innings of 48 not out in Taranaki’s second turn at bat. This was an innings, alongside the assured, and technically correct Liam Muggeridge, which ensured victory was to be Taranaki’s.

These four will be dreaming about doing the same all over again.

Determined to create their own narrative will be seven other teammates.

Chasing a big score will be Taranaki’s best this season, Trent McGrath, a hardened campaigner with a hunger for runs. He is sitting on an average of 50, with three crucial innings under his belt, which contributed greatly to the team being where they are at this point.

Feeling the same will be Taranaki’s own superman Dean Robinson. With sixteen provincial centuries under his belt and over 5000 runs for Taranaki, he would like nothing better than to demonstrate his prowess once again on his favourite ground. I’m sure he will go about this in his normal unflappable manner, with every cricket fan in Taranaki hoping that he chalks up yet another score of note.

Along with Young, who is sitting on an average of 41, Bailey Wisnewski, Sam Fastier, and Muggeridge, all with crucial runs this season, will be chasing that memorable score which will still accompany them when they have long passed their playing days.

Wisnewski is technically sound and mentally strong, Fastier is a fiercely determined and capable, while Muggeridge has the ability to bat for a long time or scoot the runs along, as may be required.

There are parts of Young’s batting that suggest he is cut from the same cloth as brother Will, demonstrating a correctness in technique and picking the right ball to hit.

Much of Taranaki’s strength is in the bowlers who can bat. Watson and Frewin are coming off exceptional Hawke Cup challenge performances, whilst spinner Mattie Thomas has a representative century to his credit and proved difficult to dislodge against Hawkes Bay. He will be looking for more runs this time round as he heads towards 90 games, 170 wickets and 1600 runs.

Liam Carr, the left arm magician, has also demonstrated a solid batting technique, and Jordan Gard, the man they can’t get out, has recently played a match winning innings against Manawatu in a very tough situation.

This group are capable of forming partnerships from the top to the bottom.

Bowlers though tend to win games, as has been demonstrated in Taranaki’s three big fixtures this season, twice against Hawkes Bay and in the Furlong Cup against Manawatu, the match which decided the winner of the cup.

Carrying much of that workload has been vice-captain Jordan Gard, a workhorse with skill. Bowling his fast-mediums with clever changes of pace and an unerring accuracy, Gard has bagged 19 wickets, one less than Watson, and ahead of Carr and Frewin.

The wizardry of Frewin, who has recently returned from injury, has been the talking point. He is a player for the big occasion with his 14 wickets this season averaging under 11.

Watson, the leader of the pack, has been in career best form. His spells against Manawatu and Hawkes Bay have demonstrated that he is back to his very best. Already with 190 wickets he only sits behind three of the very best, Jordan, Jamie Watkins and test player Gary Robertson.

His good form is crucial to the team’s success.

Backing up the quicks Taranaki can call on four left arm spinners, all with previous successes at this level.

Head of the wicket taking table for these professors of the game is the smiling assassin Carr, a clever manipulator of pace and flight. Only a youngster, he is growing in wisdom in every game.

Thomas is the man to make it tough for the batsmen, with his accuracy and clever changes of angles and pace, whilst McGrath has the ability to work out and sort out the batsmen, and Muggeridge is a prodigious turner of the ball.

Skipper Sam Fastier has all the options at his disposal.

Backed by a team that has fielded at the very highest level all season, there have only been two opposition teams totaling beyond 200. This is a crazily good statistic.

On Friday it is time to step forward and be brave by the Taranaki XI. Every game is a new challenge which must be met head on.