Vincent's century sets up domestic match win
{New Zealand Cricket} | [Original Article]

Lou Vincent has answered the call to lift his batting performance in the most emphatic fashion by ending the second day of the State Championship match between Auckland and Canterbury unbeaten on 115 scored off 119 balls.

Dropped from the New Zealand one-day side with the intent that he put some work in on the batting that had let him down during the Test series against Pakistan, Vincent fielded through the Christchurch heat on the first day and then when Canterbury’s innings ended today at 443, he waited as Tim McIntosh and Mark Richardson opened the Auckland response.

Canterbury batted on and captain Chris Harris scored 103, his 12th first-class century, also making a possible point to the national selectors who dropped him from the Black Caps squad for the first two one-day international that he still had plenty to offer. He faced 202 balls in his 304-minute innings which included 12 boundaries.

P aul Wiseman scored 44 as well while Aaron Barnes proved the key bowler for Canterbury when securing four for 55 off 29.5 overs, his career-best bowling. Kerry Walmsley took three for 66 and Brooke Walker had two for 77.

Auckland did well to end the second day on 213 for three wickets with Richardson scoring 41 and McIntosh 18. Aaron Redmond took all three wickets to fall.

Otago, who gave Central Districts first use of the Pukekura Park pitch in their match at New Plymouth, were unable to match the 350 scored by Central Districts, an innings dominated by Jamie How’s first-day century of 169, with support from Mathew Sinclair who scored 62.

Otago were in real trouble at one stage being 89 for seven wickets, 20 of those runs having been scored by Robbie Lawson. The less-experienced members of the Otago side, Jordan Sheed and Neil Rushton set about a recovery operation against a CD side ravaged by a virus that saw coach Mark Greatbatch take the field and snare a catch.

They got the score through to 142 when Sheed was out for 33. Brad Scott, who impressed yet again with a four-wicket haul in the CD innings, was able to score 33 during a last-wicket stand that got Otago past the follow-on mark and on to 209. Warren McSkimming who was injured battled his way to finish unbeaten on eight.

Michael Mason was the pick of the Central Districts bowlers, taking five for 62 while Gareth West had two for 57 from his 21 overs. CD’s lead was 141, and in the two overs that were left before stumps, one run was added to that lead.

Wellington’s decision to bat first against Northern Districts at Westpac Park in Hamilton, saw it score 250, but not before they had recovered from 88 for seven wickets. It took another guiding hand of 94 not out to see his side through to 250. That total, and Walker’s innings assumed even greater importance when ND were dismissed for 125.

Like Wellington, ND’s top-order collapsed to be 54 for seven wickets before Mark Orchard and Bruce Martin added 70 runs. Orchard was unbeaten on 39, but it took him 192 minutes and 146 balls of application to achieve that.

James Franklin took four for 34 off 17.5 overs, and when he took the last two wickets to be sitting on a hat-trick when ND bat again, he could scarcely have imagined that there was every prospect that he would be bowling again so soon.

As if to highlight the difficult batting conditions, Walker bowled 12 overs, and had two wickets for 13 runs. Luke Woodcock also proved difficult to get away with one for 15 off 12 overs.

Wellington’s second innings made it through to 48 before the first wicket fell, but the first six wickets fell for 35 runs, and only Matthew Bell showed any defiance during an innings of 60 off 110 balls.

Martin was the destroyer for ND. He took four for 30 from 14 overs and Franklin found himself in the interesting position of having a prospective hat-trick to be completed, and then coming out to avoid the hat-trick ball from Martin. By stumps, Wellington were 115 for seven wickets, a lead of 240 runs with Walker unbeaten and needing to have another innings like that in the first innings to ensure the match is put beyond ND’s reach.

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