CRICKET - Fightback fails to keep Northland in running

It wasn't one of our better performances in the field, we've been able to out-field teams in the competition up until now but that wasn't the case on Sunday.Graeme Barlow, Northland coachA narrow loss to Counties-Manukau in a one-day match on Sunday saw Northland drop out of contention for the Brian Dunning Trophy this year.
A fantastic fightback, after the top order had collapsed, by Tauseef Satti and Chris Page left Northland in with a chance of winning the match, but the chase ended in the final over - just five runs short - with the loss of the final wicket.
Both team's middle order were responsible for making the game go the distance.
Northland had Counties-Manukau in early trouble in the first innings.
By the 20th over the batting side were five down with little more than 60 runs on the board.
Whether Northland relaxed, or the Counties middle order were made of sterner stuff than their top order, is unclear but the batting side recovered to post a score of 226 in their 50 overs.
Poor fielding had something to do with the recovery, Northland coach Graeme Barlow believed.
"We must have put down four fairly straightforward catches in the field and that cost us, and we really didn't bowl very well in the second part of the innings," he said.
"It wasn't one of our better performances in the field, we've been able to out-field teams in the competition up until now but that wasn't the case on Sunday."
The slow bowlers, Jamie Millar and Chris Page, kept the batsman tied down, but it was Mark Tulloch, a late inclusion in the side, who finished with the best figures.
Tulloch had 4/45 off his 10 overs, and that included getting smashed for 10 runs off his final over.
Northland, whose top order have been good all season, got off to a shocking start and were 18 for four after nine overs.
The partnership of 150 between Chris Page (63) and Tauseef Satti (80) got the chase back on track and the rest of the tail chipped in to see Northland close to snatching an unlikely victory in the final overs.
The win handed Counties the Brian Dunning Trophy, but Northland still have a chance of winning the Fergus Hickey Trophy with two rounds remaining. They play Waikato on February 7/8 and, if they win, the final game against current leaders Bay of Plenty on February 21/22 could be a virtual final.
Northland have also earned a Hawke Cup Challenge this season, with the match to be played against the winner of the Hamilton/Central Districts Challenger starting on February 28.