Cricket: Win gives Canterbury lead

Chris Martin took four for 96. Photo / Christine Cornege

Canterbury jumped to lead the Plunket Shield table with an exciting 28-run victory over Auckland at Colin Maiden Park yesterday with 40 balls to spare.

With games between Wellington and Central Districts, and Northern Districts and Otago finishing in draws, Canterbury will take a four-point lead over Northern Districts and Central Districts when they play ND in the final round at Rangiora next week.

Wellington are six points behind the leaders, while Auckland and Otago are out of the running.

Starting the day at 166 for five, Canterbury raced to 231 for eight, then declared setting Auckland 289 to win in 89 overs, a run rate of 3.25 per over.

Principle contributors were Reece Young and Andrew Ellis with half centuries. Auckland's best bowler was Chris Martin, who took four for 96.

The declaration was a very fair one on a pitch taking some spin against a team who have struggled for batting form in recent weeks.

Openers Tim McIntosh and Jeet Raval put on 35 before McIntosh was leg before to the medium pace of Struan George. It was 61 for two at lunch with Andrew de Boorder the other victim.

Raval and Greg Todd added 52 before Raval was caught behind off George for 43. A typical Auckland collapse saw the balance swing to Canterbury with five down for 137. But Todd found a feisty partner in Brad Cachopa and at tea Auckland were 170 for five, needing 119 off 32 overs.

Todd was caught behind off George for 53, his second half century of the match, and Cachopa and Bruce Martin rattled on 59 at a run a minute before Cachopa fell to spinner Todd Astle for 71, his highest score in his debut first-class season.

The end came quickly with the final wicket falling to the second new ball. George, in only his second game for Canterbury, finished with three for 55, while leg-spinner Astle took four wickets for 96 off 28 overs.

In contrast to the other two games, which were called off early on the final day when no outright result was possible, both Canterbury and Auckland chased victory in a contest that could have gone either way in the final hour.

In Hamilton, Aaron Redmond's defiant 115 was instrumental in Otago saving their game against Northern Districts. Otago resumed under pressure at 93 for three, still trailing overall by 77 runs, but Redmond helped considerably to ease any nerves as he put together a quality innings.

His standout performance was ably supported in the middle and lower order by Darren Broom, who scored 53, Derek de Boorder, 47, Neil Wagner, 39 not out, and Ian Butler, 32 not out. Their collective efforts frustrated Northern's attack before the match was called off with Otago 343 for six.

Central Districts opener Peter Ingram scored 143 at the Basin Reserve.

Having posted 135 in the first innings, the 32-year-old right-hander backed up with a fluent knock in his second visit to the crease, to register centuries in each innings of a match for the second time in his career.

After resuming on 54 with debutant Ben Smith, Ingram belted 26 boundaries from just 136 balls before being deceived by offspinner Jeetan Patel.

By the time he was dismissed, Central were 211 for three, having earlier lost Smith for 55.

Tim Weston then scored 51, Kruger van Wyk 45 and Mathew Sinclair 41 not out to put the game beyond reach for Wellington, who agreed to end the match when Central declared at 366 for six after tea.

- additional reporting NZPA