Cricket: Marshall digs in to deny Auckland

By TERRY MADDAFORD AND NZPA

A career-high 92 by Northern Districts and former test batsman Hamish Marshall provided the only highlight as Auckland were stymied in their bid to force a result on the last day of their match at Eden Park yesterday.

The two points Auckland took from the game left them with a share of the State Championship lead with Wellington. Northern were left contemplating a day-night clash next week with in-form Central Districts in Hamilton.

For Auckland to have had any chance of kicking on from the first innings lead they took on the third day depended on an early breakthrough yesterday morning.

Marshall and Grant Bradburn were not buying into that. They added a further 30 runs - in 62 minutes - on resumption before Bradburn was run out.

Given a sniff, Auckland pressed on, but to no avail.

Marshall, who went into the match with a highest first-class score of 83, was rock-solid in seeing off the full range of Auckland bowlers used by captain Brooke Walker.

Robbie Hart, a contender if wicketkeeper Adam Parore is ruled out of the England test series, was just as resolute in scoring 23 (in 140 minutes) as he and Marshall added 76 for the sixth wicket.

The die was cast as Northern dug in - determined that they would give Auckland no more than first innings points.

Joseph Yovich helped Marshall to his highest score as Northern went past 200.

In the end only a rain break, which followed the tea interval, stopped Marshall as he was taken at the wicket by Young off part-time off-spinner Rob Nicol, who had some reward after earlier dropping Hart (on 20) off Richard Morgan.

Marshall had a couple of scares. He won umpire Ian Shine's favour in a close run-out call when on 58 and played a ball off Chris Drum just short of Nicol 15 runs later.

Auckland are at home again next week when they play Otago at Colin Maiden Park.

They and Wellington have 21 points, followed by Central Districts with 18, Canterbury 16, Northern Districts 14 and Otago 6.

* In Christchurch, Central Districts beat Canterbury by nine wickets.

The match had ebbed and flowed from day one.

But yesterday was all Central as they took the maximum six points with some ease.

Mathew Sinclair and Peter Ingram knocked off the 23 required to win in 26 minutes after tea.

The pair added 63 for the second wicket.

Earlier, Sinclair, on 19, gave Paul Wiseman a difficult caught-and-bowled chance driving at the off-spinner's first ball.

But Canterbury really needed to have added another 100 to challenge Central in the fourth innings.

Sinclair finished with 33 not out and Ingram 42 not out to go with their first innings scores of 171 and 35 respectively.

Earlier, David Kelly was unluckily run out with the score at 14 in the third over when Wade Cornelius touched a straight drive from Ingram on to the non-striker's stumps.