Dipak Patel and his Central Districts selectors, Basil Netten and Barry Roberts, know they are in for a tough season.

Not because they don't have enough players, on the contrary, they have more than they know what to do with.

Last season's bowling woes which ripped through New Zealand cricket last year like blight through a 19th Century Irish potato patch, hit CD harder than most.

Losing Michael Mason and Lance Hamilton, almost from the outset of the season, threatened to rob CD of two of its most potent bowlers.

Instead, CD found its resources were deeper than imagined and produced Brent Hefford and Andrew Schwass to provide a superb back-up for Ewen Thompson.

Now all five are lining up at the starting post and the cull is going to make for some disappointments. Mason is nearly back at full speed after recovering from his broken ankle while Hamilton is about a week away with his leg injury.

Patel talked about that to CricInfo while watching Canterbury's rain throw CD's Cricket Academy camp at Lincoln University into turmoil.

Instead of four days early season cricket, such as their Otago counterparts enjoyed last week, the CD players have been honing up on their card skills.

"It is a very difficult situation for the bowlers. But we made it plain and clear at the end of last season that they had done very well.

"But we told them that when they came back this year they should be under no illusions - they would all have to fight for their places," Patel said.

"It's hard, but it is healthy. They are all playing for a spot."

Patel was delighted with the way the CD bowlers responded to the potential crisis last year and admitted that Hefford had made a big impression.

"The great thing about it was that he took his Shell Cup form into the Shell Trophy. And at the end of the season he made an impression in Perth on very flat wickets when he was playing against quality players.

"Jeff Thomson and Dean Jones had a lengthy chat with me at the end of the tournament and they couldn't believe he wasn't playing for New Zealand," he said.

The signs that have been seen so far, and the players did get some net time on Sunday before the bad weather set in, suggest that Hefford is set to go again and there should be none of the traditional second season blues for him.

"I predict that he will be just as successful as he was last year," Patel said.

While CD looked to have strength in most areas, the real test would come when it was seen how hard hit the side was from the absence of players with the CLEAR Black Caps.

The loss of Craig Spearman, through unavailability, as a quality player with experience and as a player who had captained the side would be tough.

But, Patel said, Jamie How had taken the challenge on at the end of the season in Perth and has had the benefit of a year at the Cricket Academy.

One acquisition the side has had is Richard Scragg, a young player to Lord's three years ago. He has been playing grade cricket in Perth for two years under former Australian coach Geoff Marsh.

"Geoff spoke very highly of him and the very creditable results he had achieved in Perth grade cricket. He's a very solid, opening batsman," he said.

Greg Todd, another who impressed at the end of the season, especially in games for the New Zealand Under-19 team, has suffered a stress fracture of his shin and is out of action for six weeks. However, as another Academy graduate he has made bigger strides and will be pushing for selection.

Patel said the pressure would be on the batsmen in the side, including the likes of David Kelly who, after the double century he scored last summer, was well capable of building on that with more consistency this year.

Having achieved such good results in winning the Shell Cup last year the side would be in the new position of facing a different sort of pressure as defenders of the title and that would be a challenge.

"We talked about that at our camp and the lads are keen to show that it was not just a one-off. We are an up and coming province and we want to prove that," Patel said.

However, Patel said the four-day State Championship was the title he would most like to have.

"From a personal point of view it is the truest test of a cricketer and a cricket team. It is a true test of what type of player you are," he said.

While there is disappointment over the way the weather has treated them at Lincoln, the Central Districts players return to their respective regions knowing there are a lot of district games to be played and a couple of trial matches to be held in Wanganui before the season is underway.

Central Districts will be away to Auckland when the State Championship starts on November 26.

© CricInfo