Cricket: Canterbury force issue with Auckland

Photo / APN

Canterbury dangled a carrot but Auckland refused to bite as their potentially exciting Plunket Shield cricket match ended in a tame draw at Christchurch yesterday.

Canterbury were sluggish with the bat on Thursday but they upped the ante yesterday, briskly adding 56 runs to their overnight total of 131 for three before declaring at 187 for seven, and setting up what should have been a tantalising chase for Auckland. They required 334 runs to win from a minimum of 86 overs - a required run-rate of less than four runs an over - but the visitors lacked intent and crawled to 238 for five when stumps were pulled.

A steady start to the chase was required and Auckland got that through Brad Cachopa (66) and Andrew de Boorder (54), but the runs came too slowly and when de Boorder was the third man dismissed, at 163, more than 63 overs had passed.

Greg Todd took 99 balls to score 30 before some late hitting from New Zealand allrounder Kyle Mills, who scored 45 off 52 balls, proved to be in vain. Legspinner Todd Astle dictated play for Canterbury, taking three for 53 from 29 overs.

Earlier, Bhupinder Singh starred with the ball for Auckland, taking four for 56 from 22 overs before Canterbury declared. The hosts picked up two points for their first innings win. A late declaration by Otago cost both them and Northern Districts any chance of forcing an outright result in their match at Queenstown.

The match stuttered to a draw with the teams agreeing to pull stumps at tea on the fourth and final day after Otago had earlier set the visitors a mammoth target of 365 in 72 overs, at a required rate of more than five runs an over.

Northern Districts picked up two points for their first innings win. The hosts left the Queenstown Events Centre empty-handed but probably satisfied after staring down the barrel of a hefty defeat yesterday.

Central Districts took 185 balls and little more than the first session yesterday to skittle Wellington and complete a 243-run win at Napier.

- NZPA