Cricket: Walmsley and Canning destroy ND

Brooke Walker congratulates Tama Canning, who salutes the crowd on reaching his century with a six yesterday. Picture / Greg Bowker

The Tama Canning-Kerry Walmsley double act was too good for Northern Districts as Auckland coasted to victory inside three days of their match yesterday.

For the second successive season Auckland crushed Northern in Hamilton in the opening match of the State Championship season - this time by an innings and 89 runs.

This was an even more emphatic performance than last season's nine-wicket win.

Canning yesterday posted his highest first-class score, 115, after bagging a career-best six for 44 on the weather-delayed first day.

His two wickets in Northern's second innings took his match tally to eight.

Walmsley, 31, bowled superbly as Northern crumbled to be all out for 92 on a day in which new captain James Marshall took no part after injuring ankle ligaments in the pre-play warm-up.

But even Marshall at the top of the order would have struggled to make any impact as Walmsley ripped through some inept batting.

Claiming three of the first four wickets as Northern staggered to 10 for four, Walmsley ended his first nine-over spell with five for 27 and came back to finish with seven for 28 and his first 10-wicket match haul since starting his career in the 1994-95 season.

His previous best in an innings, six for 49, was at the same ground about five seasons ago.

"I just went out to do what I could," said Walmsley, back for his second season with Auckland after a couple of years in Otago.

"We could see there would be some assistance [from the pitch] but it was still a case of bowling straight."

Which he did - trapping three of the lower-order batsmen in front after his first four victims had fallen to catches behind the wicket.

"It is a nice feeling to get 10 wickets. Everyone did their job."

Walmsley claimed his 200th first-class wicket when he had Llorne Howell - who played for Auckland last season - caught at the wicket by Reece Young for an equal innings-high 24.

Canning was not left behind in the record stakes. His 115 was two runs better than his previous highest score, notched two seasons ago at Colin Maiden Park against Canterbury.

His six for 44 in Northern's first innings was one better than his best of five for 35.

"Our bowlers fronted up, but we still expect more from our top order [batsmen]," Auckland captain Brooke Walker said in savouring a remarkable victory. "They were huge efforts from Canning and Walmsley.

"We talked about the need to bowl into the wicket, especially with the new ball. They did that and we got the results we wanted."

There was little indication when Auckland resumed their first innings at 300 for six that it was going to be all over soon after tea.

Canning and Walker took the score to 385, but after lunch the castle crumbled. Canning failed to add to his score and Young and Walmsley joined him in the shed within minutes.

If that was bad enough, Northern, needing 171 to require Auckland to bat again, were reeling at one run for three wickets and 20 for five before Howell and Joseph Yovich offered some resistance.

The result was inevitable, even if Auckland needed only nine wickets to win.

Marshall, watching in stunned disbelief and hobbling in a "moon boot" with the aid of a crutch, said he would know this morning if he would be fit to play the next game, against Central Districts in Napier starting on Monday.

"It looks worse than it is," said Marshall, who fell while catching a rugby ball during the warm-up.

Auckland's next game also starts on Monday, against Canterbury in Christchurch.