Cricket: Canterbury leave ND in deep hole

By TERRY MADDAFORD and NZPA

Outplayed with bat and ball, it will be all uphill for Northern Districts when they attempt to save their game against Canterbury in Gisborne today.

Chasing the 444 scored by the southerners, Northern had reached 128 for eight in their first innings at stumps on the second day of their State Championship clash.

Captain Robbie Hart (20) and Bruce Martin (18) were again entrusted with the salvage operation.

Canterbury's position owed much to Chris Harris, who resumed on 103 when the visitors pushed on from their overnight score of 333 for six, and later to pace bowler Shane Bond and legspinner Aaron Redmond.

Harris' innings of 155 not out took 526 minutes and 337 balls, and he was aided in a feisty 10th-wicket stand, which produced 75 runs, by tailender Chris Martin (25).

Although it fell just short of the 450-run target set by coach Michael Sharpe, the Canterbury innings seemed more than enough.

James Marshall, opening the Northern reply but needing the assistance of a runner, was quickly cleaned out by Bond.

A crease-bound Mark Bailey followed without addition - trapped in front by Bond - and Scott Styris offered only token resistance before Chris Martin bowled him for 14. By then, Northern were in salvage mode.

A couple of decisions went against them, but even Joseph Yovich's dismissal to a bat-pad call and Graeme Aldridge's departure to a leg-before ruling from what seemed another Warren Wisneski no ball could not disguise what was a disappointing day.

Bond captured a deserving three for 35 off 13 overs.

Redmond gave solid support in bagging three later in the innings, including Hamish Marshall, who reached 28, the highest total in the innings. He threatened to turn things around before he was taken at the wicket by Gareth Hopkins.

It was a slow but interesting day's play in overcast conditions.

Only 239 runs were scored from the allotted 100 overs - in 397 minutes - compared with 333 in 404 minutes on the opening day.

Canterbury, the early competition leaders, have a good chance to press on for first innings and then outright points.

Only the weather, it seems, can deny them.

Northern will be looking skywards this morning. Perhaps they would be better off looking at the shortcomings which have left them in such a precarious position.

* Stephen Fleming's sojourn with English county Middlesex this year continues to bear fruit.

The New Zealand captain left for England wanting to develop an appetite for, and a habit of, scoring centuries.

Since returning he topped three figures in the drawn third test against Australia in Perth this month and yesterday he scored an excellent 115 in his first-class debut for Wellington.

Resuming on the second morning of the match against Central Districts on 39 with Wellington on 110 for four, Fleming reached 96 before being driven from the field by rain.

A lengthy stoppage followed and when play restarted, Fleming hit the first ball for four to mid wicket to complete his century.

Fleming's performance and a maiden first-class century from Matthew Walker saw Wellington reach 326 for eight declared.

Central were seven without loss at stumps.

"At Middlesex I had a few things to work on. I learned from them, and I applied them today," Fleming said.

He established a Wellington record of 161 for the seventh wicket against Central Districts with Walker, bettering the previous mark of 110 by Evan Gray and Bruce Taylor at Upper Hutt in the 1979-80 season.

Their partnership took the game away from Central Districts, who had Wellington in trouble at 145 for six.

Walker, in his 27th first-class game, achieved his first century at this level before Wellington immediately declared their first innings.

Fleming's century was his 18th in 142 first-class matches, and he now has 8938 runs at an average of 41.96.