THE Northland cricket team's recent run of good fortune with the bat ended yesterday when they were defeated by Hamilton by six wickets, with the loss virtually handing the victors the Brian Dunning one-day trophy. Northland co-selector Trevor Penney said the batting performance simply wasn't good enough during Northland's innings atCobham Oval, but he refused to blame the conditions. "We just didn't bat very well, and while the conditions certainly weren't helpful and the ball was moving around a bit, the top order should have been able to handle it, but they didn't and we didn't get enough runs," he said. Northland struggled in the wet conditions after they were put in to bat and were dismissed for 140 in the final over of the rain shortened match. The morning's rain delayed the start of the match until noon and then another downpour - with Northland already four wickets down - kept the players off the ground for another 80 minutes, further truncating the match until it became a 36-over shootout. Fortunately for Northland, Brad Chard managed to compile 31 runs against the hostile Hamilton bowlers to lay a foundation for the innings. He was supported by Bert Horner (21) and a useful contribution of 23 by Rhys Farrand batting at No.8. Farrand was a late replacement for regular opener Brad Wilson, who was called into the Northern Districts squad on Friday, and he impressed with some good batting strokes before he fell victim to a rash cut as he gambled to earn precious runs. Brett Jowsey and Ryan Shutte were the most effective of the Hamilton bowlers, each taking three wickets before Shutte completed a man-of-the-match performance with an innings of 61 that virtually assured his team of the win. The opener was in great form and was responsible for blunting Northland's attack almost from the start. He was backed up by Brooke Hatwell (27) and Sam McLeod (21), as the visitors overhauled Northland's total in the 29th over. Northland won't have to wait long for the chance of revenge with the team due to travel to Galloway Park in Hamilton on Friday for a two-day match over the weekend. If their poor battling lost the chance of winning the Brian Dunning Trophy, they are still in with a shot of earning a Hawke Cup challenge against Taranaki later in the season - if they can win in Hamilton. "We'll pick another team on Wednesday night and hopefully we'll go down there and change the result around," Penney said.
