By TERRY MADDAFORD
Given the opportunity, Craig Cumming would happily play all his first-class cricket against Northern Districts. His Otago team-mates wish he had produced more of the same against other Shell Trophy rivals.
Cumming's unbeaten 125 in Otago's first innings of 238 for two declared at WestpacTrust Park yesterday may or may not decide the outcome of this Shell Trophy match - Northern, at 61 for three in their second turn still trail by 22 runs - or even the fate of the silverware. But it continued a rich vein of batting form against the northerners after a start to the season he would rather forget.
The 25-year-old Cumming, in his first season for Otago - after five with Canterbury - had little time to wait before joining the action. Otago opener and captain Matt Horne scored just one before being caught at square leg by Michael Parlane off Simon Doull.
Any thought of a Northern-like collapse quickly evaporated, however, as Mark Richardson and Cumming showed it was far from the batting minefield Northern might have suggested as their innings had run its downhill course.
Richardson, surely on the verge of a call-up to the New Zealand one-day side, was at his accomplished best and the perfect foil for Cumming, who combined a sound mixture of the circumspect and free-flowing.
Coming into his ninth match of the season, Cumming had an average of 25.53 from 13 completed innings. Against teams other than ND his average was just 16.66. But with scores of 89 not out, 43 and now 125 not out, he has an average against Northern of 257.
But for a time earlier in the season he must have had doubts.
With scores of 3, 1, 3, 0, 12 and 0 in his first three matches was his place in the side in doubt?
Not according to Otago coach Dennis Aberhart.
"Glenn Turner [convenor of the Otago selection panel] and I told him not to worry and that he should just get out and play," said Aberhart. "We always believed he could turn things around."
Northern just wished it was not against them.
He and Richardson - cruelly falling just three short of another well-deserved century - allowed Horne a tea-time declaration and left it to their bowlers to force the pace in playing the southerners into what should be a winning position not much later today.
Northern lost Parlane for four, later Mark Bailey for 23 and then James Marshall for 29 - the latter's equal top score of a disappointing season.
Cricket: ND dismay as batsman hits form
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