Cricket: ND claim Plunket Shield

"Dynasty" got more than one mention today as Northern Districts finally secured the Plunket Shield first class cricket prize they had threatened to win all season.

Having dominated the extended competition from the outset, it took until the second morning of the 10th and final round of matches before Northern could officially claim the four-day crown for the first time in three summers and add to the one-day championship title snared last month.

It is the first time the association has won two trophies in a season and coach Grant Bradburn reckons it won't be the last, based on the progress made this season.

"The most pleasing thing is we've created a lot of depth along the way. We've now genuinely got 20 guys who can step up and that all bodes well for a healthy future," Bradburn said.

"Management and senior players here have talked a lot about not just wanting to have a successful one or two seasons, it's a matter of creating a dynasty where success becomes commonplace. That's built on attitude and a lot of hard work and we believe that process should take care of titles.

"We've made some changes to what we call `the ND way', which is raising the bar in terms of professionalism and performance. That has happened this year."

Northern claimed the title when Auckland denied Canterbury first innings points this morning.

Holding an eight-point lead over Canterbury heading into the final round of matches, Northern could only be denied if they failed to score a point in their game against Central Districts in Napier while Canterbury had to secure maximum points.

The latter now can't happen after Auckland crept past Canterbury's 203 on the second morning of their match in Auckland.

The Northern players had been following that match and celebrated with a subdued team toast during the first drinks break at McLean Park.

"Obviously we treasure the one-day title but the four-day competition has been a long road so there's a lot of relief and a lot of satisfaction," Bradburn said.

"It started way back at Labour Weekend with a team bonding and fitness camp. There's been a lot of hard toil in between."

Pace bowlers Graeme Aldridge and Brent Arnel have been key strike weapons. Before this game, Aldridge had claimed a competition-leading 39 wickets at 20.6 while Arnel was fourth with 29 at 19.6, leading to his test callup.

Bradburn said right-arm veteran Aldridge, 32, responded to a lean season last year by turning up with the team's best pre-season fitness results. That had translated into deserved success with the ball.

Two other seamers, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, had made limited appearances but topped the competition averages before this week with 12.8 and 14.7 respectively.

Four batsmen averaged better than 50 - brothers James and Hamish Marshall, Kane Williamson and BJ Watling - with Williamson's run glut in the second half of the season especially notable.

Bradburn said the final goal was to finish on the right note against Central by claiming their sixth outright win of the season.

- NZPA