Basil Netten's not a household name in New Zealand cricket circles but there was no-one who could have been more satisfied with Central Districts' Shell Cup success on Sunday than he was.

Netten, from the Horowhenua, is the convener of CD's selectors, and has had 10 years in total selecting the side he calls his "country boys".

Over the years he's selected sides that have won national Under-18, Under-20 and B tournaments as well as a couple of Shell Trophies. But he hadn't selected a team that had won the Shell Cup until yesterday.

"I've filled my cup. I'd been to two previous Cup finals without any success.

"But it doesn't come much better than going to Christchurch 1-0 down and beating Canterbury twice to win.

"I love it when the country lads come good," he said.

The most satisfying moment of all was when Canterbury was 101/1 with internationals Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan starting to fire.

"They had us by the throat. One or two of our bowlers had rough starts but they settled down. Glen Sulzberger had nine off his first over but ended his 10 overs with only 27 against him. I enjoyed the way they came back.

What made this CD team so different from the others he has selected was their togetherness.

"It's an old cliché, but they hung in there as a team. They had a coach in Dipak Patel who believes in the work ethic and who set high standards in discipline, dress and behaviour on and off the field.

"It's pretty simple stuff really. We've struggled in the past because we've had a bit of the playboy attitude," he said.

But Patel's stance, and the professional attitude engendered in the side by Leicestershire professional Ben Smith had helped the side considerably, he believed.

Another factor was the developing depth in the region.

"For several years we only had 10 first-class cricketers and we were forced to make up the numbers.

"But I believe there are about 18 now capable of stepping up and that has been seen with the injuries we have had this year," he said.

Netten said a player who had been forgotten in a lot of the comment about players missing from the line-up this year was Campbell Furlong, the Hawke's Bay off spinner who hadn't come home from overseas and who had been such a key bowler for the side last year.

"Yet here we are, we've won a Shell Cup," he said.

"What has given me special raps has been the way kids have come through from Nelson and Marlborough.

"Brent Hefford has played for us previously but he isn't a full-time cricketer, he's serving an apprenticeship and he's just bought his own house and been setting that up so it is great that he has been able to step up," he said.

The other thing that tended to be forgotten by people in the main centres was that most of the CD team haven't been home since Boxing Day and if they are involved in the Shell Trophy which starts again on Thursday, they will have tonight at home before they head out on the road again until the end of February.

While he hasn't made up his mind over whether he will continue selecting next year, Netten thinks that if Mark Douglas decides to retire, as he has intimated to CricInfo, then he will be a big loss for the side.

"I don't know where Spears [Craig Spearman] is headed now either. But while Duggie was pleased to be in the winning side yesterday I think he might have been a wee bit disappointed that he didn't get a bat," he said.

Another pleasing aspect of the win from Netten's perspective was the way his much-maligned five bowler attack stood up to all the pressure that opposing sides tried to impose on them.

"We asked the question of the bowlers. They knew they had to bowl their 10 and they knew we were relying on them.

"We did try to load our batting to the point we played Bevan Griggs and perhaps went past our best wicket-keeper Martyn Sigley," he said.

But CD had not been guilty of loading its side with all-rounders, some of whom go for several games without contributing to the side.

The final word sums up what has kept Netten going when others might not have persevered.

"I enjoy the challenge of picking cricket teams. I enjoy it when people tell me we don't know what we are doing and then we win something like this. It's a great highlight," he said.

© CricInfo