Cricket: Bailey puts ND on course for victory

By TERRY MADDAFORD

HAMILTON - Those ardent Northern Districts cricket fans who faithfully support their favourite team must turn up for the day's play wondering just which version of batsman Mark Bailey has already strolled through the gates.

Will it be one of those all-too-infrequent days of Bailey the master or another of those scratchy efforts which end before really getting going?

Yesterday at WestpacTrust Park it was the former as Bailey posted a match-high 85 to help Northern stretch their lead over an under-powered Central Districts to 311 which should become the base for their match-winning bid not too far into the last day of their Shell Trophy clash today.

After spluttering at times, the tempo of the match picked up - despite the best efforts of the weather to disrupt things - in Northern's second innings as Bailey produced some of those classic strokes of which most batsmen can only dream.

With all the elegance of a craftsman at the top of his game, Bailey scored runs on both sides of the wicket as he joined Neal Parlane in a 118-run third wicket partnership of just 98 minutes.

But as a deserved eighth first-class century loomed, Bailey fell to a catch by wicketkeeper Martin Sigley off Glen Sulzberger - the fifth bowler employed by CD who were without Lance Hamilton who had cried off during Northern's first innings.

To their credit CD, who at one time had coach Dipak Patel on fielding duty with Mark Douglas off with a back injury, stuck to it as the Northern batsmen were determined to show this was no horror strip and that runs could be scored at better than the visitors paltry 1.97 runs per over in their first innings of 220.