Cricket: Inaugural clash one of a kind

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The bowlers were on a hiding to nothing. But forget that, and yesterday's inaugural North v South province of origin match at North Harbour Stadium was a worthy finale to the domestic one-day season.

Chasing 154 to win, South made hard work of their second innings target, getting home with just two wickets and three balls to spare.

It had, with 654 runs scored in the four innings, been an interesting experiment and something for the modest crowd to enjoy.

From the time North openers Chris Nevin and Jesse Ryder piled on 43 in just 19 minutes after stand-in captain Richard Jones - taking the reins from the injured Brooke Walker - opted to bat first on a three-day-old pitch it was tough work for the bowlers.

Ryder, in his first season with Central Districts after impressing at last year's under-19 national tournament, relished the step up.

The strapping left-hander hit 19 at better than a run-a-minute first-up and an equally impressive 43 second time round as he and Tama Canning piled on 79 in 36 minutes in North's second turn.

Nevin, who had to pull out after the first innings with a groin injury, chipped in with a neat 28, including six boundaries. But Matt Horne could not buy a run.

In three innings over the weekend (the State Shield final and two yesterday), he scored just seven runs.

His contribution amounted to two wickets for Auckland in the final and a couple of key catches in South's second innings to send dangermen Llorne Howell and Craig Cumming packing.

After North's rollicking start came the slump. But James Marshall came to the rescue, continuing with the form that played a big part in Northern Districts' State Shield win.

His 46 off 50 balls, including four boundaries and a six, gave some much-needed impetus to North, who finished with 165 for nine in their 25 overs.

For the South, Howell, a major disappointment in the final, was back to his best in blasting his team's first innings into life.

In a little over an hour he sent the ball to the rope six times and over it twice to reach 63, falling leg before to Bruce Martin's left-arm spin.

His innings included a 62-run partnership with Cumming in 30 minutes and a quickfire 42 with Chris Gaffaney.

It should have set up a lower-order charge, but only captain Gary Stead rose to the occasion.



Michael Mason finished a good five-over spell, taking three for 26, and North restricted South's lead to just eight runs.

North's second innings only rarely fired up. Apart from that second wicket blitz from Ryder and Canning, only Matthew Walker and Bruce Martin - an unbroken 39-run ninth wicket partnership - gave them much hope of setting a really competitive target.

After the North's Howell and Cumming had been and gone before the innings had really started, Michael Papps and Gaffaney produced the salvage operation - 62 in 27 minutes from 40 deliveries - to reach 76.



Former Auckland Grammar first XI wicketkeeper Doug Winger, deputising for Nevin, added to the South's agony, stumping Shannan Stewart off Martin and then completing the final touch from an accurate Ian Butler throw to run out Warren McSkimming. That left the southerners teetering at 122 for seven with 6.2 overs remaining.

But Shayne O'Connor was having none of that and joined Carl Anderson in a ninth-wicket blast - for 24 runs off 19 to see South home.

National selector Ross Dykes, who managed North - fellow selector Brian McKechnie did the same job for South - said that while the game was not to be taken "too seriously" the players had been serious in their approach.

"There is the novelty aspect in playing in this format," Dykes said. "While it has been hard for the bowlers, the batting and fielding has been very good. There have been some fantastic cricket shots. The batsmen have relished the chance to play on a wicket they can trust.

"It was the chance for some guys we do not necessarily know a lot about to put their hands up. Jesse Ryder was one example."

The only clue as to whether the game will become a regular fixture came from New Zealand Cricket - who asked players to hand back their uniforms.