Cricket: No quarter will be given in clash at Eden Park

By GRAHAM REDDAWAY

It has been ages since either Auckland or Wellington have drunk from the cup of success in the national limited-overs competition.

When the two sides line up on the main wicket at Eden Park today in the fourth round of the State Shield competition, the fact that Wellington last won the title in the 1990-91 season and Auckland the season before will not be lost on their respective coaches, Vaughan Johnston and Mark O'Donnell.

For both, victory is the key to having a chance of improving that record. Auckland will be buoyed by their last-ball win over Canterbury on Tuesday, while Wellington were dealt to rather easily the same day by Central Distrcis.

In a game reduced by rain to 32 overs-a-side, Central won by three wickets and 14 balls to spare.

Auckland were well behind the eight-ball against Canterbury until Paul Hitchcock joined Lou Vincent and added 81 for the sixth wicket.

Vincent celebrated his rejection from the New Zealand one-day side by scoring an unbeaten 94, but that pair and Matt Horne provided the only batting of substance in the innings.

Otago remain unbeaten and have 12 points. Auckland and Central Districts are second on six, from a win, loss and rained-out draw.

Wellington, with a solitary win, have four points, which makes the result of this match especially vital, even with a further six rounds still to be played.

Either side gaining a strong start in the game could be a problem for the side batting second.

The match is being played on the drop-in strip previously used for the ODI against Pakistan on January 3.

It looks to have recovered well, but Eden Park wickets tend to slow up in the latter stages and this one is not likely to be any different.

The strong suit for both sides is the depth of their batting, with neither having a distinct advantage over the other.

The best chance of either side achieving a win will come from the accuracy of their attack and the ability of the fieldsmen to take the chances. The game starts at noon, with Tony Hill and Wayne Knights the umpires.

In other matches, Canterbury take on Northern Districts at Rangiora and Central Districts host Otago in Masterton.

Auckland (from): Brooke Walker, Heath Davis, Aaron Barnes, Tama Canning, Paul Hitchcock, Llorne Howell, Matt Horne, Rob Nicol, Craig Pryor, Lou Vincent, Kerry Walmsley Reece Young.

Wellington (from): Matthew Bell, Grant Donaldson, James Franklin, Luke Woodcock, Maya Pasupati, Ashley Turner, Chris Nevin, Mark Gillespie, Matthew Walker, Michael Parlane, Richard Jones, Neal Parlane.