LONG WALK: Northern Knights captain Dan Flynn is out for 3, LBW to Mitch McClennaghan. Photo/John Borren
The pitch at Bay Oval has played evenly but the batsmen have had a nightmare on day one of the four-day Plunkett Shield match underway at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval.
The Knights batted first and were dismissed for 124 in 48.1 overs with Bay of Plenty's Bharat Popli top scoring
with 32.
But Auckland made hard work of trying to gain first innings points, struggling through to be all out for 98. Chief destroyer for the Knights were Scott Kuggeleijn with 5/32 and Joel Baker, who took 4/44. Bay of Plenty allrounder Brett Hampton took 1/13 on debut.
It could have been even worse for the Aces but for Black Cap Mitch McClenaghan, who top scored with 20 batting at number 10, giving the Knights a first innings lead of 26.
But that was not the end of the bowlers' domination.
The Knights second innings started just as badly as their first. Joe Carter was dismissed for 1 for the second time in the day on his home ground, while captain Dan Flynn was out for 12 with the Knights 13/2. Next in Darren Mitchell was soon out for four to have the Knights tottering at 17/3 after five overs.
Bharat Popli, one of four former Tauranga Boys' College players in the Knights, counter attacked with three boundaries in his 15 not out as the Knights reached 39/3 by stumps.
