Cricket: Exhaustion a happy pay-off for Orchard

Mark Orchard and Joseph Yovich slayed the Central Districts bowlers on the way to rewriting cricket's record books yesterday.

The Northern Districts pair posted 322, a New Zealand record for the sixth-wicket in a first-class match as they defied the hosts on the second day of the State Championship match at Napier's McLean Park.

The pair's heroics carried Northern Districts to 450 all out from 151.3 overs with Orchard scoring 175 and Yovich 144.

"I don't think this will sink in for a few days, not until after the match probably and, even then, it'll depend on how many runs they make," an exhausted Orchard said.

"That was the longest I've ever batted and while you're batting you don't think about it. But once you finish you realise just how tired you are.

"I scored 97 against Auckland a couple of years ago, so this was my first hundred and the highest score that I've had in any cricket."

At the close of play, Central Districts were 120 for three.

Having come together with their team precariously placed on 38 for five on Monday morning, Orchard and Yovich went on to post their maiden first-class centuries.

Northern resumed yesterday on 277 with Orchard on 112 and Yovich 106.

The allrounders continued to plunder the attack, and after an hour's play saw their team through to 334 for five.

That took their stand to 296, passing the previous best sixth-wicket partnership of 293 scored last summer by Canterbury's Peter Fulton and Neil Broom against Otago.

Twenty-nine runs later, Central captain Jamie How broke the stranglehold when Yovich offered a return catch to the part-time spinner.

Orchard said day one had been "about par" from a team perspective and all his and Yovich's good work would have been for nothing had they perished early yesterday.

"We had to bat at least that first hour to set the game up,' he said.

"After that we were hoping to put them on the back foot, because it's hard to back-up a second day as a bowler, especially when the wicket's so flat."

But the fairytale didn't end there for Orchard as he nicked out former Black Cap Mathew Sinclair for nought with his first ball of the match.

"Yeah, that was pretty good too," Orchard said.

"I just put it up there and it swung away and I got Skippy out. Cricket's a funny game, it comes in fits and starts and you've just got to make the most of your opportunities."

When Sinclair went, CD were just 72 for three, but a handy fourth-wicket partnership between How and Jarrod Englefield had them 120 for three at stumps.

Yovich made 144 after 405 minutes at the crease, including 17 boundaries.

Yovich, 28, made his debut in 1996/97 for Northern Districts and has accrued 67 first class games.

He is closing in on 2500 runs averaging nearly 27.00 and has taken 191 first class wickets at just over 30.

Otago v Wellington Wellington's three-pronged pace attack blitzed an Otago batting line-up intent on shouldering arms at the University Oval in Dunedin yesterday.

Iain O'Brien and James Franklin grabbed four wickets each and Mark Gillespie two in Otago's first innings as they collapsed from 37 for three overnight to be all out for 73 after Wellington made 292 in their first innings.

Following on 219 runs behind, Otago recovered somewhat to be 114 for one at stumps but faced an uphill battle to avoid outright defeat.

Otago coach Mike Hesson believed his side had batted poorly but was quick to praise the Wellington bowling attack.

"The Wellington boys bowled particularly well," he said.

But he thought the seamers had some assistance from the drizzly weather.

* There was no play in the match between Auckland and Canterbury at the Village Green in Christchurch because of rain.