KEY POINTS:
Wellington opener Matthew Bell made it two centuries from two attempts this State Championship season as he dominated the second day against Auckland yesterday.
After the first day was washed out at Eden Park outer oval, Auckland captain Richard Jones asked the visitors to bat in the hope of exploiting some moisture.
However, he was met with a brick wall in the form of Bell, who batted 325 minutes for his 122 - a superb follow-up to his 146 against Canterbury last week.
It helped carry Wellington to 247 for four before rain ended play at 4.30pm, with 78.3 overs completed.
James Franklin was unbeaten on a chanceless 51 while Bevan Crook contributed 40.
But Bell was once again the figurehead, reaching the boundary 19 times on his way to his 19th first class ton for the province, extending his record for one New Zealand association.
Bell is matching his prolific start to last summer which resulted in a recall to the New Zealand team before being dropped.
He provided two sharp chances, with Englishman Steven Croft spilling a caught and bowled opportunity at 39 and Reece Young missing a slash at first slip when Bell was on 83.
He eventually fell to the guile of leg spinner Tarun Nethula, caught by Scott Styris at slip.
The Auckland attack was steady, if unspectacular, with New Zealand opening bowler Kyle Mills recording the tight figures of none for 30 off 18 overs.
With half the match completed, it will be difficult for either team to force a result on a true pitch.
ND v CD
Central Districts batsman Peter Ingram is poised to better his highest first class score of 166 not out when play resumes today in Hamilton.
At stumps on the second day yesterday, Central were 201 for two in their first innings having dismissed Northern, who resumed on an overnight score of 136 for two, for 325 just after tea.
Ingram needed just 164 balls for an aggressive 144 not out, containing 23 boundaries and a six. It was his eighth first class century. At the other end, skipper Mathew Sinclair was 22 not out. Central Districts paceman Ewen Thompson, who grabbed seven Auckland wickets in the last round, made the breakthrough this morning, dismissing opener Cameron Merchant with just five runs added to the score.
Merchant, 88 overnight, might consider himself unlucky. He had added just one run to his score when Thompson trapped him leg before wicket but the ball might have feathered off his bat first.
Merchant's departure sparked a mini-collapse as Northern lost two more wickets for 20 runs including skipper James Marshall for 15, and Peter McGlashan for eight.
Black Caps all-rounder Jacob Oram, who suffered a broken index finger on his left hand while fielding yesterday, looked comfortable sending down 14 overs today to finish with figures of one for 22 off 18 overs.
Kane Williamson, with 73, and Graeme Aldridge repaired the Northern innings with a handsome stand of 135 for the sixth wicket before Williamson gave George Worker a catch off Richard Sherlock.
Aldridge, batting higher up the order than normal, was Northern's unlikely hero. With a previous best of 49 from 83 first class innings, he was 73 not out when his side's innings ended.
There was little he could do as he watched Central take the remaining four wickets at the other end for the cost of just 25 runs.
Sherlock, three for 52, and Thompson, three for 61, shared the wicket-taking honours with Brad Patton chiming in with two for 19.
OTAGO v CANTERBURY
The match at Invercargill between Otago and Canterbury was marred by rain for the second day running.
With rain falling for most of the day, only an hour was available late in the day for the match to resume at Queen's Park.
With Canterbury sending down just 15 overs, play ended with Otago adding just 23 runs for the loss of one wicket to their overnight score of 211 for four.
Resuming on his overnight score of 48, Neil Broom was 62 not out at stumps with Derek de Boorder unbeaten on one.
Nathan McCullum added just eight runs to his overnight score of 30 when he gave Leighton Burtt a catch off Michael Davidson.
- NZPA
