Cricket: Richardson double great for Auckland

By BOB PEARCE

New Zealand opener Mark Richardson completed a fine double as he steered Auckland to a seven-wicket win over Otago with a day to spare at Colin Maiden Park yesterday.

The left-hander, who scored 100 in the first innings, was not out on 52 when Auckland scored the 116 they needed for victory.

Richardson and Matt Horne raced to 92 before Horne fell for 47 and, despite the loss of two more wickets, Auckland cruised home.

The win maintains their position level with Wellington at the top of the State Championship after the capital side beat Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.

Otago were comprehensively beaten and the best they could take from the game was a wicketkeeping record equalled by Marty Croy.

He took the final two catches as Auckland were quickly dismissed for 316 yesterday morning, making a total of seven for the innings.

That equals the record for a game in New Zealand shared by Robin Schofield, of Central Districts, Wasim Bari playing for Pakistan, Bryan Young, of Northern Districts, and Ian Smith, playing for New Zealand.

Auckland's 18-year-old Rob Nicol was left 109 not out after an innings lasting 5h 27m.

Another teenager, Gareth Shaw, in only his second match for Auckland, knocked the top off the Otago second innings, dismissing the first three batsmen by the time the score had reached 50.

Chris Gaffaney and Andrew Hore wiped off the 75-run first-innings deficit before Auckland captain Brooke Walker shattered Otago's hopes with three wickets in the 30th over.

The leg-spinner inticed Hore and Craig Pryor to play on to their stumps and had Croy leg-before to his first ball.

When Shaw claimed his fourth wicket - Nathan Morland leg-before - the end seemed near. But Gaffaney found a useful partner in the Australian leg-spinner Rob Smith and they added 50 for the eighth wicket before Gaffaney was trapped in front by Nicol for a defiant 80.

Eight Otago batsmen in their two innings were dismissed leg-before, most paying the penalty for dwelling on the crease line on a pitch better suited to front-foot play.

* Wellington's Andrew Penn took eight for 21 from 17 overs as Canterbury crashed to defeat at the Basin Reserve.

Chasing 152 for victory, Canterbury were bundled out for 120 in their second innings. At one stage they were 33 for seven.