Cricket: Fine Trott has Auckland gasping

Jonathan Trott showed the form that has made him a hot prospect in English county cricket as he led Otago to an 80-run first-innings lead over Auckland in the State Championship game at Eden Park yesterday.

The 24-year-old, who was born in Cape Town, compiled a chanceless 120, his eighth first-class century. He took Otago from potential disaster at 58 for four to 246 for six, within 27 runs of the first-innings lead.

When Otago were dismissed for 352, Auckland faced 12 overs and lost both openers while adding 31 runs in their second innings.

Playing as a professional these days for Warwickshire, Trott has a career total of more than 4000 first-class runs with a best score of 210. On a pitch that gave little assistance to the Auckland bowlers, he scored briskly all around the wicket, needing only 156 balls for his 120, including 20 fours.

His first false shot was an aerial slice through gully that brought him his century and his compact technique promised plenty more runs. So it was a surprise when he was deceived by the flight of offspinner Tim Lythe, who picked up a very sharp chance from his own bowling.

Trott shared a partnership of 111 with wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins, who was dropped twice in the 50s before Rob Nicol accepted a third chance off Kyle Mills when Hopkins was 52.

Otago continued to score freely as Trott and McCullum added 77.

Coming back from injury, Mills bowled 21 lively overs and picked up four wickets.

Tama Canning was persistent and bowled a superb delivery to dismiss Craig Cumming but the other Auckland bowlers were expensive.

Auckland face an uphill task. In a team dominated by all-rounders, someone needs to match Trott's efforts with the bat.

* Ewen Thompson led an aggressive counter-attack to help Central Districts snatch control of their match against Canterbury in Christchurch.

An unbeaten 100 off just 93 balls on the second day turned the match on its head as Central accelerated to 314 for six.

That moved them level with Canterbury's first-innings effort and with Thompson and Tim Weston still at the crease, the visitors will hope to build a decent first-innings advantage today.

Weston, making his debut, had reached a more solid 63 by stumps. Their unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 151 had swung momentum in favour of the visitors after they had limped to 163 for six.

Thompson was easily the day's most influential figure.

Seventy-eight of his 100 runs came in boundaries - 15 fours and three sixes - and he also took the final Canterbury wicket in the morning to finish with four for 66.

* Opening bowlers Mark Gillespie and Charlie Shreck helped Wellington take control against Northern Districts in the capital.

An unbeaten half-century to Sam Fairley helped the competition leaders reach 448 before lunch, a score that seemed too far away for Northern, who had inched to 186 for six at stumps.

Gillespie and Englishman Shreck grabbed five of the wickets between them, recording figures of three for 46 and two for 57 respectively.

Most of the Northern top six made starts but none could reach 50 as their team stare down the throat of a 262-run deficit with just four wickets in hand.

Nick Horsley top-scored with 42.

- additional reporting NZPA