Northerns Districts powered to an eight-wicket win over Canterbury in a domestic Twenty20 cricket match at Hamilton tonight.
The match was reduced to 18 overs per side because of a weather delay and Canterbury, inserted to bat after losing the toss, posted a frail 138 for eight after Northern Districts'international bowler Tim Southee grabbed three wickets for 23 runs.
Southee received able support from the rest of the Northern Districts attack with Graeme Aldridge taking two for 36 and Trent Boult and Brent Arnel grabbing one each.
Canterbury were struggling at three for 37 before the middle order of Dean Brownlie, 23, Ryan ten Doeschate, 35 and Shanan Stewart, 32, put up some resistance.
But their side's innings was quickly wrapped up once ten Doeschate was dismissed with the score at 119 for five.
Northern Districts opener Daniel Flynn departed in the fifth over for 45 runs but Australian David Warner and South African Herschelle Gibbs put their side on the road to victory with a breezy 79-run partnership.
Gibbs gave Dean Brownlie a catch off a Rob Nicol delivery after scoring 34 off 23 balls leaving his side needing just another six runs to win.
The result see Northern Districts take a share of top spot, joining Auckland on 16 points after five games.
Canterbury
R Nicol c Wilson b Aldridge 6
P Fulton c Boult b Southee 2
D Brownlie c McGlashan b Arnel 23
R ten Doeschate c Warner b Southee 35
S Stewart c Wilson b Boult 32
C Anderson c Wilson b Aldridge 17
J van der Wath not out 12
R Young run out 2
C Frauenstein c McGlashan b Southee 1
Extras (2lb, 5w, 1nb) 8
Total (for 8wkts, 18 overs) 138 109 82 11 4 Fall: 7, 30, 37, 81, 119, 123, 128, 138.
Bowling: T Boult 4-0-31-1 (1w), G Aldridge 4-0-36-2 (1w 1nb), T Southee 4-0-23-3 (1w), B Arnel 3-0-23-1 (2w), S Styris 3-0-23-0.
Northern Districts
D Flynn c Fulton b Ellis 45
D Warner not out 52
H Gibbs c Brownlie b Nicol 34
S Styris not out 7
Extras (2lb, 2w) 4
Total (for 2wkts, 13.3 overs) 142 Fall: 54, 133.
Bowling: R Sherlock 2.3-0-17-0, J van der Wath 2-0-32-0, A Ellis 4-0-29-1, R ten Doeschate 1-0-14-0 (2w), C Frauenstein 2-0-24-0, R Nicol 2-0-20-1.
