Cricket: Styris again ruled out by crook knee

Scott Styris' chances of returning to the New Zealand team for the remaining tests against Australia took a check yesterday when he missed playing for Northern Districts in the four-day match against Auckland on Eden Park's outer oval.

Northern Districts coach Bruce Blair said it had been hoped that Styris' injured knee would have recovered sufficiently for him to have started the State Championship match.

But that had not been the case and Blair said it was doubtful, too, whether Styris would be right for the final round of the competition next week.

Styris' misfortune proved to be a lucky break for the Glamorgan county professional Alun Evans, who has spent the past two summers with the Northland association and who was brought in as his late replacement.

A useful if unspectacular performer for Northern in earlier matches in both the one-day and four-day competition, Evans produced easily his best innings of the season with his handsome 91 saving the side after they had made a poor beginning.

The first two wickets went for 28, with one of the openers, B. J. Watling, so bereft of strokes he battled for 45 minutes and 36 balls for a duck.

But Evans, helped first by Matthew Hart and then James Marshall, pulled Northern around on the generally easy outer oval pitch, taking the side to 262 all out just on stumps.

Evans and Hart put on 54 for the third wicket and Evans and Marshall 83 for the fourth.

Evans unfolded a sequence of lovely shots with his 100-ball, 137-minute 91 containing 15 fours. Marshall made a solid 71 before being the last man dismissed, unluckily run out from a bowler deflection.

Auckland captain and former test leg spinner Brooke Walker brought his side back into the game just when it seemed they might pay for some loose bowling and a couple of fielding lapses.

In easily his most effective spell for some time, Walker had Evans lbw in his first over, and in his sixth over dismissed Daniel Flynn and Joseph Yovich with successive deliveries.

* Wellington showed signs of batting long into their match against Central Districts in Palmerston North.

After a day shortened by heavy overnight and early morning rain, Wellington were sitting comfortably at 198 for two, intent on batting the home team out of the game.

Two of Wellington's batsmen brought up their half-centuries before stumps were pulled at 7pm, with Michael Parlane on 52 not out and Jesse Ryder 55 not out.

Central Districts need an outright win to try to overhaul Wellington to reach the final of the championship against Auckland.