Cricket: Aces open up four point lead

Andre Adams. Photo / Natalie Slade

Auckland and Canterbury continued their T20 supremacy yesterday, recording contrasting wins to go clear at the top of the HRV Cup standings.

Defending champions Auckland eased to a six-wicket win over Northern Districts at Mt Maunganui, while Canterbury chased down 188 to edge Central Districts in Rangiora.

The wins see Auckland open up a four point lead at the top of the table, with second-place Canterbury six points clear of the chasing pack.

At Blake Park, Auckland were looking for a third straight win to consolidate their position atop the standings, and it never looked like any other result was on the cards.

The Aces cruised home with six wickets and 20 balls to spare, chasing down the Knights' inept 111 all out in a game that went the distance despite light drizzle and low cloud all day.

Andre Adams took 3-27 from his four overs and bagged catches to get rid of Daniel Vettori and Hamish Marshall as the Knights limped through to 50-4.

The hosts never gained any momentum apart from a breezy 30 down the order from Corey Anderson before he was stumped by Gareth Hopkins.

Auckland were again aided by their slow bowlers, with left-arm spinners Bruce Martin and Ronnie Hira proving especially effective.

Martin took 3-15 off his four against his old team while Hira, who has been a revelation in T20, took one wicket and conceded a scrooge-like 12 runs from his four overs. The combination saw the Knights back in the hutch for 111 in 19.2 overs, a total never likely to be enough against an in-form Aces' batting order.

No one in the competition is in better nick than Black Caps opener Martin Guptill, and he dined out in the chase.

The Aces had a scare in the third over, when steady drizzle drove both teams from the park, but that was the only threat as the Knights' bowlers laboured.

Guptill eventually saw his side home in a canter, scoring an unbeaten 49 off a positively sedate 48 balls, pacing his innings nicely and bringing up the win with a six off Tim Southee.

Earlier, the Canterbury Wizards kept the pressure on Auckland with a well-timed chase proving enough to squeeze past the Stags at Mainpower Oval. APNZ