Cricket: Canterbury call up McMillan for clash with Auckland

Test batsman Craig McMillan will rejoin the Canterbury team for their second-round State Championship match against Auckland starting in Christchurch on Monday.

The inclusion of McMillan in place of medium-fast bowler Brendon Donkers is the only change to the 13-man squad from yesterday's washed-out home game with Wellington.

Peter Fulton, who was standing in for the now injured captain-elect Chris Harris, retains that role.

Little play was possible yesterday before heavy rain caused an early end.

The match was nicely poised overnight with Wellington 189 runs in credit and four second-innings wickets in hand.

Canterbury tipped the balance a bit more in their favour when Chris Martin celebrated his 30th birthday with a first-over dismissal of Graham Murray.

But during the next hour Neal Parlane, who scored 50 in 237 minutes and 150 balls, and a more aggressive Mark Gillespie, unbeaten on 37, added a further 50 for the eighth wicket.

Their partnership was steering the match towards a draw before the rain took the task out of their hands.

Auckland and Central Districts reaped a maximum eight points from the opening round, Wellington received two for their first innings lead, and Canterbury, Northern Districts, and Otago have none.

* Central Districts batsman Jamie How made a memorable start to the season with centuries in each innings to guide his team to a crushing victory over Otago in Queenstown.

If How's 105 in the first innings was good, then his second knock of 108 not out was brutal.

How, 23, raised his second century off 149 balls in 185 minutes.

He threw his bat at anything short, smashing 14 fours and two sixes as Central Districts comfortably ran down the 181 they needed in their second innings.

Resuming on 61 for one, they reached their target with seven wickets to spare shortly before the scheduled lunch break.

Play was delayed because of early morning moisture, but Central Districts did not miss a beat, scoring at run-a-minute pace.

Geoff Barnett and Glen Sulzberger were dismissed to aggressive shots as the visitors looked to accelerate the scoring and take the unpredictable weather out of the equation.

Appropriately, it was How who hit the winning runs with a four from spinner Aaron Redmond.

- NZPA