The Central Districts batsmen yesterday squandered what should have been a match-winning effort on the first day of their top-of-the-table Shell Trophy cricket clash with Northern Districts in Taupo.
They lost their last eight wickets for just 49 runs to finish on 289. Northern's reply was 12 without lossat stumps.
In a stop-start effort the Central side, led by Jacob Oram, overcame the loss of two early wickets to reach 240 without further loss.
At one stage Leicestershire professional Ben Smith looked headed for a second successive century. He had come to the wicket when David Kelly was trapped leg-before by Simon Doull with only one run on the board.
When Joseph Hill was also adjudged leg-before with the total at 30, Northern appeared on the verge of taking control.
But Smith and Mark Douglas had other ideas.
In a classic left-hand, right-hand partnership, the pair saw Central through to lunch at 147 for two.
The onslaught - aided at times by some indifferent Northern fielding - continued after the break. Douglas bludgeoned the home team's attack almost into submission.
He hoisted 50 at faster than a run a minute and completed his eighth first-class century in 114 minutes from just 106 deliveries.
Smith, more circumspect, was the perfect ally as they wiped out the six-year-old third-wicket record for Central against Northern in adding 210 in only 163 minutes.
Just when Smith seemed certain to post a richly-deserved century he became the third batsman to fall to a successful leg-before appeal - this time to 20-year-old left-arm spinner Bruce Martin - for 92.
Without addition, Douglas followed at 130. That was 14 short of a personal high in a career stretching back to the same fixture in the 1987-88 season.
Northern went for the jugular.
In claiming three more wickets, they had Central on the ropes.
From the handy score at lunch, which Smith and Douglas stretched to 224 by mid-session, Central went to tea in tatters at 248 for seven.
Only a stubborn unbeaten 25 from Peter McGlashan saved any face late in the day.
The Northern attack, which was on the verge of giving it away and at times guilty of a few too many short-pitched deliveries, hit back well. All five bowlers shared in the spoils.
Michael Parlane and James Marshall got through to stumps with few worries and will return this morning determined to lay the foundation for a match-winning effort.
