As Central Districts need to beat Auckland to keep pressure on Northern Districts in the race for the Plunket Shield, it was no surprise CD captain Tim Weston opted to bat when he won the toss at Colin Maiden Park yesterday.
Two overs into the game, he must have wondered
at his decision. Pace bowler Dean Bartlett deceived Brad Patton into spooning up a catch from his first ball. From the last ball of the same over, he seamed the ball back sharply to scatter Weston's stumps.
When left-arm swing bowler Michael Bates trapped the prolific Mathew Sinclair in front for six, Central were seven for three wickets and much of the day became a dour battle to recover.
Mainly thanks to a last-wicket stand of 67 between Bevan Griggs and 17-year-old Adam Milne, who made 36, CD were all out for 269 at stumps and Weston's decision was looking better by the minute.
The first part of the recovery was led by opener George Worker, who missed as many as he hit in the early stages of his innings but reached 56 before he was fourth out with the score on 73. He shared a 50-run partnership with James de Terte.
De Terte, a Hawke's Bay batsman playing only his second first-class game a couple of seasons after his first, was patient. He took 102 balls to reach double figures and batted for three hours when he was caught close in from off-spinner Bhupinder Singh for 34.
Griggs showed attack was the best form of defence. Nobody else stayed for long until Milne saw off the spinners and attacked the second new ball.
The main destroyer was Singh, who took four for 93 on a first-day pitch that offered a surprising amount of spin and bounce. Jeet Raval's leg-spin also snared two wickets.
