Cricket: Bell bounces back with timely ton

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WELLINGTON - Former international opening batsman Matthew Bell was under pressure to hold his place in the Wellington Shell Cup cricket team going into yesterday's game against champions Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.

By the end of it Bell was the toast of the team as his unbeaten century provided the base of Wellington's upset 12-run fifth round victory.

Not only had Bell resuscitated his cricketing fortunes but the win injected desperately-needed momentum in to Wellington's cup campaign.

They started the match bottom equal with Otago with just one win from four games, and another defeat would have come close to killing off their prospects of being in the top three playoffs.

Instead Wellington will approach tomorrow's match with Auckland at the Basin in a buoyant mood having been the first team to beat Canterbury this summer.

Bell's 100 not out was by his own admission a struggle. After 25 overs he had 33 but he refused to give in, and he and another battler until yesterday, Richard Petrie, produced a match-winning sixth-wicket stand of 81 from 98 balls. Petrie scored 38.

At last Bell started to find his timing, and he prospered in the latter stages to reach his third cup hundred for Wellington, and his first at the Basin, from the last ball of the innings.

Wellington made a defendable 217 for seven, and Canterbury, after looking in charge at 153 for five in the 39th over, were dismissed for 205 with three balls remaining.

Bell took three catches yesterday, two of them critical. From the second ball of the Canterbury innings he had new opener Stephen Fleming caught down leg, and he safely gloved one offered by top-scorer Craig McMillan when he was on 52.

* In a day-night match at New Plymouth last night, Otago beat Central Districts by 39 runs in their Shell Cup encounter. Otago set CD 228 to win but the hosts could manage only 188. - NZPA