Spinner follows father's path

SCOTT HAMMOND/Marlborough Express

TURNING BACK TIME: Marlborough rep Nick d'Auvergne, left, and father Phil d'Auvergne look over The Marlborough Express clippings from the successful 1994 Hawke Cup challenge, in which Phil played a key role.

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One member of the Biddy Kate's Marlborough senior representative cricket team hasn't had to look far from home to learn what it takes to win a Hawke Cup challenge.

When Wairau Valley offspinner Nick d'Auvergne runs on to Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston North tomorrow to meet Manawatu in his first Hawke Cup Challenge, he will be following a path his father Phil d'Auvergne travelled 10 times.

Phil was a dangerous left-arm spinner and aggressive batsman who had seven unsuccessful challenges with South Canterbury before also coming up short for Marlborough against Southland in 1987 and 1990.

Phil finally tasted success with Marlborough in 1994, which was also at Fitzherbert Park against Manawatu.

He played a leading role with the bat, second top scoring with 42 from No8 in the first innings to help Marlborough recover from a precarious position to grab a first-innings led. He added an equally valuable 19 in the second innings as Marlborough hung on for the win.

With the ball Phil took two wickets, including the scalp of a young Mathew Sinclair.

Nick was just nine years old at the time of the successful challenge and, while he doesn't remember the cup coming to Marlborough, he has seen photos from the match and recalls the 1994 side's regular reunions.

He has also had plenty of advice from Dad.

"You can't give anything away. [Glenn] Turner said, `Hawke Cup cricket is tougher than a test' and I agree," Phil said.

"The team you play obviously has it right and you need to have that attitude as well."

Phil said he felt Marlborough had started to show that attitude against Nelson with both the bat and ball.

Cherishing wickets was the key, even if it meant turning down runscoring opportunities early to survive until the 50-to-80-over stage when the ball was older.

Phil said bowling in tandem was important and building pressure throughout the innings – a role Nick said he hoped he would play.

"I expect to bowl a lot of overs. In the past against Manawatu I've always bowled a lot.

"They're running red hot after scoring 600 last week, but I expect our bowling to be a lot better [than Bay of Plenty's].

"We have all aspects covered with the ball."

Phil sees similarities between the 1994 team and this year's side, both featured a mix of experienced players and young talent without any big names.

"A lot of the most successful Hawke Cup teams don't have a lot of stars," Phil said. "There aren't brilliant stroke players or guys who do a lot with the ball; just players who are willing to work hard."

Phil said the 1994 team had a fantastic team spirit and wanted to win the match for each other, especially after a dogged first innings batting effort from 16-year-old schoolboy star Leon MacDonald.

"The thing that sticks in my mind is just a feeling of relief. It had been a very tense match."

Sixteen years ago at Fitzherbert Park, Phil broke his Hawke Cup duck, let's hope the ground proves just as lucky for Nick and the rest of the Marlborough team.

- The Marlborough Express