CRICKET - Northern Knights foiled by ex-local

The match was supposed to celebrate the returning heroes of Northland cricket, but it was another Northland son - in Wellington colours - who stole the show at Cobham Oval yesterday.
Northland export Matthew Bell, currently the Firebirds' captain, steered his side to a six-wicket win after the bowlers had derailed the Northern Knights' chances of posting a big total.
Bell's unbeaten innings of 74 came from a stay at the wicket of 190 minutes and included seven fours. It wasn't flashy stuff, but it was just what the visitors needed to chase down a winning total of 149/4, as the ND bowlers threatened to derail the chase.
The Wellington skipper was modest about his innings.
"We were only chasing a small total and we only had to bat out our overs to knock it off. We had a few hiccups along the way and it wasn't easy out there because they didn't throw in the towel at any stage," he said.
Bell said the wicket was pretty good but there was a little extra bounce that made it difficult to read at times during his innings.
"I think the calibre of bowling was impressive from both teams and it was the first game up for both sides ... so it was good to come away with the win - it's always important to get a good start in the competition, especially away from home," he said.
"We bowled in good areas and we got some momentum going early on with a few early wickets and Graham Napier bowled superbly and so did Mark Gillespie. From there we grew in confidence and the other guys took over from where they left off," he said.
Hamish Marshall's return to the Knights didn't go as planned. Marshall lasted only three overs, out for just three runs, but that turned out to be a familiar pattern for the Knights' top order.
BJ Watling was caught on the third-man boundary while another local, Michael Parlane - back in ND colours after leaving Wellington last season - looked to be the only batsman who could cope with the Wellington bowlers.
Parlane was fooled by the pace of the wicket and spooned a soft catch to mid-wicket on 20 and it was left to the youngest player on the Knights side to top-score.
Young Tauranga batsman Kane Williamson scored 67 to show what a valuable asset he will be in the future for the Knights. Williamson, batting at No.5, was the final wicket to perish in the first innings as he tried to score runs before he ran out of partners.
Brent Arnel and Tim Southee claimed early wickets in the Wellington chase. Joseph Yovich then claimed two wickets in his first three overs to re-ignite the Knights' chances in the match but a couple of chances to dismiss Chris Nevin were put down and he and Bell went on to put together a partnership of 72 to see the side home in the 44th over.