CRICKET - Captain Cochrane catches eye as Northland march on

A swashbuckling 92 not out from skipper Ben Cochrane has not only paved the way for the Northland cricket team to take honours in a reformatted Northern Districts one-day series this season, but may have opened up some selection windows as well.
Cochrane was in commanding form with the bat yesterday as Northland marched past Bay of Plenty by six wickets and they are now poised to meet Hamilton in a title-deciding match in Whangarei on Saturday, December 2.
After delivering an eyecatching effort as captain, coupled with a near-flawless performance keeping wickets, Cochrane is now poised for a call-up to the Northern Districts B team along with his Northland team mate Jamie Lee.
Yesterday Cochrane had a hand in five run outs as Northland restricted a talent-laden Bay side to 264 runs off their 50-over allocation, a total that was looking likely to blow out well past the 300-run mark midway through the first innings.
Northland rallied in the field then showed excellent patience and technique at the crease as they chased down the total.
Cochrane hit the winning runs with three overs to spare.
Northland selector Ross Kneebone said Cochrane's performance was far and away the standout of the match and reckons it will be enough to force his way into the ND B side and may even see him poised tantalisingly close to bigger things.
"The way Ben captained the side, played with the bat and kept wickets really made him a man the selectors just could not ignore," Kneebone said.
"He really stood up today in particular but right through the last three days and showed he is ready for the step up when and if the ND selectors need him."
Cochrane was not alone. Yet again Jamie Lee is proving to be an anchorman at first drop and is another Kneebone believes will be named in the ND B side next week.
Lee hit a solid 54 runs yesterday and was a vital member of the side, helping Cochrane set fields to keep the lid on Bay of Plenty.
The new format for the one-day title, where teams are competing for the Brian Dunning Trophy, means Northland still has two games to play in the next four weeks.
But it is all set up for the game against Hamilton at Cobham Oval. The winner there will take the silverware. Northland heads into the game unbeaten thus far, having disposed of Poverty Bay and Waikato-Valley.
"That game is going to be a beauty, and with points going towards the U-Bix Cup standings as well it means we will have a huge opportunity to do the business," Kneebone said.
There are two major trophies contested in senior men's representative cricket in Northern Districts. The Fergus Hickey Rosebowl is awarded to the champion team and the Brian Dunning Trophy goes to the top limited-overs team.
The Rosebowl winner will also qualify to challenge for the Hawke Cup, currently held by Taranaki.