Cricket: Horror patches hand win to Northland

Bay of Plenty's Bharat Popli plays forward in a strong innings of 61. Photo / George Novak

Two horror patches of play has cost Bay of Plenty what looked like being a comfortable victory against Northland at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval.

A wagging Northland tail and a batting collapse conspired to produce a 50-run loss that looked almost unthinkable with only hours remaining on the second and final day yesterday afternoon.

Northland's total of 337 - inflated by their final two wickets combining for 81 runs - did not look like nearly enough when Bay captain Peter Drysdale (48) and Tom MacRury (88) had put on 133 for the first wicket.

Three wickets then fell for 14 runs, before Mitch McCann (48) and Bharat Popli (61) steadied the ship to put the Bay well ahead at 251/3.

Popli had looked his normal flowing self and was barely troubled before he held out in the deep on the last ball before tea, bringing Brett Hampton to the crease to join McCann.

What followed was equal parts bad luck and poor decision-making, and with Northland's tails up the Bay were under serious pressure.

Hampton played a poor shot to chip out for five, Tim Clarke may have been unlucky to have been given out, caught behind for two, and McCann played a rash shot to fall for 48 before Ben Musgrave was strangled down the leg side for a 15-ball duck.

All up the final seven wickets fell for just 36 runs in double quick time.

"We're bitterly disappointed - those two little periods really cost us," Bay captain Drysdale said.

"We bowled fantastically yesterday and just when we could have wrapped up the innings we dropped a couple and were a little loose with the fielding.

"It came down to those extra runs and then obviously a 40-minute period at the end with the bat when we were in a strong position. We had five seamers and they all bowled their hearts out out there when there wasn't much in the surface. They gave us an opportunity to have Northland all out for under 300 and potentially just over 250."

The Bay plays a two-dayer at home against Counties in a little under two weeks, ahead of limited overs fixtures against Hamilton, Counties and Northland at the annual one day tournament.

Northland 337 (Brad Kneebone 71, Neil Parlane 59, Kurtley Watson 45no; Brett Hampton 5/61, Donovan Deeble 2/91) Bay of Plenty 287 (Tom MacRury 88, Bharat Popli 61, Mitch McCann 48, Peter Drysdale 48; Watson 5/60, Henry Cooper 4/58)