Cricket: Northern in need of a miracle

By CHRIS RATTUE

As uphill battles go, Northern Districts are facing a climb of Everest-like proportions in their Shell Trophy clash with Auckland at Eden Park.

Auckland took full advantage of their solid first-day batting effort with swashbuckling innings from their lower-order batsmen on the second day, before declaring at 547 for eight.

At stumps, Northern were not so much in a hole as a canyon as they faltered at 36 for four.

It was the highest total by an Auckland side against Northern Districts.

Among the many sparkling innings was a gem from new-ball bowler Chris Drum that brought his first trophy half-century.

The tone for Auckland's day was first set by Lou Vincent, who hit a dashing 49.

Then Andre Adams hit a brutal 54 which included four sixes and seven fours.

The best of the sixes was a straight hit from spinner Grant Bradburn which went into the car park next to the outer oval, but perhaps the shot to remember was a stand-and-deliver four which he smashed back past opening bowler Daryl Tuffey.

The brilliant 39-ball innings from Adams ended in spectacular fashion when James Marshall plucked a diving one-handed catch at mid-off.

Adams' partnership with Tama Canning really turned the screws on Northern.

Forty-six of their first 50 runs came in boundaries and their partnership of 85 took just 82 deliveries.

Drum, whose previous highest score was 26, carried on in the same mood, his 60 including five fours and four sixes.

Auckland were clearly in command.

After a ten-and-a-half hour stretch in the field, Northern's batting crashed.

The crowd, which was close to a startling 200 at times, hardly had time to work out the difference between openers James and Hamish Marshall before the identical twins had departed.

James, with the shorter name and short sleeves, nudged a sharp catch to wicketkeeper Lou Vincent from a jubilant Drum.

And Hamish, in the long sleeves, fell to a strange hook shot against a Kyle Mills' delivery.

Northern were quickly in a position where things could only get worse in the short term, while it would take many hours of batting to get them in a position where first-innings points might be a possibility.

And things did get worse.

Neal Parlane fell to a direct hit from Canning.

Adams bowled Mark Bailey in his first over.

The day finished with Auckland captain Blair Pocock packing the slips for his fast bowlers, and surrounding the experienced Grant Bradburn and Matthew Hart with fielders for Mark Haslam's left-arm spin.

It will take a miracle for Northern to prevent Auckland from taking their first points of this trophy season.

The visitors' main goal now will be to prevent Auckland from claiming outright points over the final two days.