Sheik of tweak leaves Otago in a spot of bother | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

Tarun Nethula took his usual self-effacing stance last night.

"I didn't do anything different," the 28-year-old Central Districts Stag said after taking a career-best 6-32 off 19.1 overs, including five maidens.

Many would beg to differ - the right-arm leg spinner did.

It didn't matter what angle you look from, his contribution is undeniable.

"Hammer, Bondy and Hunty worked with me after the last game with pace, line and those sorts of things," Nethula said of bowling coach Lance Hamilton, former Black Caps strike bowler Shane Bond and CD coach Alan Hunt after CD bowled out the Otago Volts for a modest 207 in 77.1 overs in round-two of the Plunket Shield match.

No arguments there. With the pedigree of coaching staff at their disposal the Stags are spoilt for choices when it comes to tailoring their talent for a wardrobe befitting first-class cricket.

If that wasn't enough, a shade over an hour later Nethula was back out on the crease on the first day of the four-day encounter in Christchurch yesterday as the nightwatchman when replacement opener Dean Robinson fell victim to Otago seamer Neil Wagner for 20 runs.

Robinson was called in at the weekend after battle-hardened New Plymouth opener Peter Ingram withdrew on Saturday because of bereavement in the family.

At stumps last night, the Stags were 49-1 with opener How on 27 and 2-run-old Nethula resuming CD's first innings this morning at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval.

It seems rough that a lower-order batsman who just tore the heart out of the Volts' middle order as a bowler should pad up in the twilight zone of a day's play but the Aucklander laughs it off.

"I was the scheduled nightwatchman in the last game, too, and if given the opportunity I'd like to keep batting there."

Nethula garners more satisfaction padding up, having helped bowl out the opposition he now relishes the prospect of making a contribution with the willow as well.

Indubitably it's the tweaker's ball antics on a wicket that isn't offering much turn that is cause for celebration in a CD bowling attack that lacks experience.

He didn't just claim the scalp of random rabbits - bar No11 Stephen Finn for 13 runs.

The Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall club player trapped No4 Neil Broom leg before wicket for 28 just as the batsman looked like digging his toes in for the long haul with No5 Sam Wells.

In his next over, Nethula caught and bowled Black Cap Nathan McCullum for one run before removing leftie Wells for 57 about 10 overs later in the game.

He then trapped No7 Derek de Boorder lbw for seven runs and baited Neil Wagner to hole out to New Zealand captain Ross Taylor for nine in the space of seven overs.

English international seamer Finn was his last scalp.

"The key word was patience, from my captain," Nethula said, lauding fellow Cornwall allrounder Carl Cachopa (2 wickets) and opener Adam Milne (1) for doing the hard yards in the first session to enable him to execute his plan.

His best figures before yesterday were 6-169 against Wellington at the Basin Reserve on March 28 this year but the significance of frugality, when juxtaposed with yesterday's statistics, isn't lost on the bowler.

"Sometimes you can bowl really well and not get any wickets," he said, adding he discovered the "good track got sticky as the sun came out and offered some bounce".

"Hopefully it'll offer some turn on day three," the Andhra Pradesh-born cricketer who settled in Auckland several years ago.

Former international and CD seamer Hamilton said while he, Bond and Hunt brainstormed matters such as lines and field placements, it was Nethula's diligence that yielded the wickets.

"He adapted to it, went out there and put it in the right places," the bowling coach from Napier said.

Hunt said the well-grassed wicket meant Nethula's dexterity was the difference.

"It wasn't taking much turn so he was creating pressure with variation with his deliveries," he said, adding restricting Otago to a total below 250 and finishing on 49-1 when the umpires lifted the bail made him pretty happy.

No doubt, while it was shaping up to be Nethula's summer success also had to be attributed to the pressure from the other end of the bowling crease.

He didn't rue leaving out young spinner, leftie and 12th man Marty Kain, who he had bracketed into the squad.

"You have to be careful not to take two spinners and leave an allrounder because that can affect the batting balance of the team," Hunt explained.

Veteran Michael Mason, putting his hand up to bowl after a spate of injuries to seamers, was wicket-less from his 18 overs, including five maidens, for 43 runs.

"He didn't have a proper preparation and he'll be the first to admit he needs to work on his fitness," Hunt said of the ex-Black Cap who opted to play in the one-day and HRV Cup Twenty20 competitions only this summer.

The work, Hunt said, wasn't done yet as Nethula and How needed to carry on today to establish a 150-run lead as a yardstick for a decent reply.

He respected ex-international Ingram's decision based on family matters but felt Robinson took his opportunity to display his organised defence and shot selection.

"It's a shame he didn't go through with it."

Ex-international How, in outstanding form in the drawn first-round affair against the Wellington Firebirds last week here, will need his troops to keep their head down as they try to blunt the Finn/Wagner seam attack today to lift themselves off the last rung of the table.

Injured Black Cap Tim Southee emulated Nethula's feat, ripping through the Firebirds on the adjacent field yesterday.

The 22-year-old quick continued his comeback from a knee injury by taking 7-37 to put the Northern Districts Knights in a dominant position.

He took the last six wickets in Wellington's innings to record his sixth first class five-wicket haul and bring his bowling average below 30.

It looked as if the wickets would continue tumbling when Northern came out to bat in the afternoon session, with Black Cap BJ Watling sent packing for four by Mark Gillespie, but captain Brad Wilson and Kane Williamson steadied the ship for the Knights. They put on an unbeaten 137-run partnership to close the day out, with both men reaching their half-centuries. Williamson was in particularly brutal form, ending the day at 76 from 105 balls.

An hour up the road in Rangiora, the trend of the day was reversed where the Canterbury Wizards reached stumps at a commanding 324-5 against competition leaders Auckland Aces, with Black Cap Dean Brownlie's unbeaten century undeniably the yardstick.

Kyle Mills struck in the second over of the day to claim the wicket of Rob Nichol, and the day looked evenly poised at lunch with Canterbury on 103-3. But Brownlie and fellow Black Cap Reece Young (80) put on 171 runs for the fifth wicket to put the hosts firmly in charge.

Sir Richard Hadlee medallist Chris Martin, also tuning up for a trip to Australia like Southee, returned figures of 1-71 from his 19 overs.

SPIN MERCHANT: It's shaping up to be Tarun Nethula's summer. PHOTO/FILE