Cricket: Wellington batsmen on record run spree

By Terry Maddaford

HAMILTON - It was a statistician's delight, but little joy for the Northern Districts cricketers as Wellington posted a record 608 for nine declared on the second day of their Shell Trophy match yesterday.

While the kudos deservedly went to the visitors, and especially Matthew Bell, who scored a career-high 219 against his former team-mates, there was plenty to admire in the Northern effort.

In the field for 706 minutes, much of it in sapping sun, the home side sent down 187 overs (1126 deliveries) yet conceded just 3.25 runs an over and gave up only two leg-byes and three no-balls in a truly disciplined effort.

Faced with the daunting prospect of seeing out 21 overs before stumps last evening at the start of the chase first for the follow-on target of 459 and eventually the 609 for a miserly two points for a first-innings lead, Northern were 68 without loss, with the Marshall twins, Hamish and James, batting through 82 testing minutes.

But it was Bell who took centre-stage. After reaching 2000 first-class runs en route to his 178 on the first day, he went on to 219 yesterday before falling caught and bowled by Matt Hart.

That surpassed the ground-high 209 scored by former ND opener and now chief executive of the Wellington Rugby Union David White, in 1985-86.

Bell, who played 20 first-class games for Northern before heading south at the start of last season, became the first player to score double-centuries in consecutive trophy matches after his 216 against Auckland at the end of last season.

Bell and Jason Wells had scored a record second-wicket partnership of 215 for Wellington against Northern on the first day.

The right-handed Bell spent 507 minutes at the crease, faced 391 deliveries and hit 36 boundaries and a six in laying the foundation for Wellington's highest ever score.

Their previous best was 595 against Auckland in 1927-28, and against ND, 448 for one in Wellington 10 season ago.

It is also the highest score on the ground by any team - well ahead of the 522 for eight scored by Australia against Northern in 1973-74.

The late-order rally was led by another former ND age-group representative, Mark Jefferson, who scored 103 not out - his second-highest score and the second time he has got beyond 50 in 15 first-class outings.

Up against it from the time Wells elected to take first use of the placid batting strip, ND captain Robbie Hart never flagged.

He switched his bowlers intelligently and turned in a super effort behind the stumps.

"It was a great effort by Wellington," said Hart in praising the opposition. "But I was pleased with the way my guys tried."

Rather than write off almost two days in the field as a lost cause, Hart said: "It was good to get a session like that in the field early in the Trophy season.

"We are here to play cricket. Apart from a couple of difficult half-chances we didn't put anything down. I was pleased with the way they applied themselves."

Hart, who said he got a little too wound up in the captaincy in the latter stages of the Shell Cup campaign and had let that effect his keeping, was happy with his effort in trying conditions.

"I think I have got that balance right again," he said after he had warmed-down with a lap of the ground with a couple of his team-mates.

It would need a huge turnaround for this match to produce an outright result but there has already been enough good cricket to show the longer version of the game can still be absorbing.

Meanwhile, in Christchurch the game between Canterbury and Central Districts petered out to a draw on the final day at Jade Stadium.

Following on, Canterbury were 160-2 at stumps after their first innings total of 346 in reply to Central's 549-8.