KEY POINTS:
An unerring ability to strike in clusters handed Canterbury their first domestic crown in a decade in Wellington yesterday.
A side comprising few stars outplayed their more illustrious hosts Wellington in the five-day State Championship final and were deserved 49-run winners on the last day at the Basin Reserve.
It was appropriate that two of their heroes, Todd Astle and Hamish Bennett, combined to take the last wicket.
Runs were hard to come by throughout the weather-marred match and that was no different yesterday as Wellington succumbed for 199, chasing 249 to win.
A draw would have been enough for top qualifiers Wellington to win the title but they could not hold out against a Canterbury side who continued a match-long trend of taking their wickets in clumps.
The most decisive came soon after lunch when occasional legspinner Todd Astle delivered a three-wicket maiden to halt a useful Wellington revival.
Beginning the day at 14 for four after left-arm swing bowler Michael Davidson sliced through the top order on Thursday, Wellington lost only one wicket in the morning session, with Chris Nevin falling for 25.
They reached 133 for five by lunch and the fightback looked set to continue before opening batsman Astle was introduced for the first time in the match.
His fourth over - the 50th of the innings - did the damage with the score at 154, as he lured all three victims into offering catches in close, off balls that gripped and turned.
The first was Neal Parlane, caught at first slip by Michael Papps for 74, ending a 3 1/2-hour knock that threatened to take the game from Canterbury's grasp.
Dewayne Bowden and Jeetan Patel followed without scoring, leaving Wellington with five ducks for the innings and eight for the match. Mark Gillespie was bowled for 14 by Bennett, the seven-wicket hero from the first inning, before Bennett caught Luke Woodcock in the deep for 65 off Astle in the final act of the summer.
Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy could spare a moment's sympathy for Wellington, remembering how his team missed out in last year's drawn final against Northern Districts.
"It was a magnificent effort from us in a game that's gone up and down," said Nosworthy.
"But Wellington are a quality side and I feel for them at the moment, I know what they're going through."
Astle's figures were a career best four for 26. Before yesterday he had bowled just 95 overs this season and taken 12 wickets.
Canterbury were inspired by a surprisingly poor record in Wellington, having not won a first class game there since a four-wicket Shell Trophy win at the Hutt Recreation Ground in 1978.
"We were very aware of it," Nosworthy said. "It was something that was a bit of a challenge we set ourselves. It's good to overturn a little bit of history."
Nosworthy agreed the Astle over "turned the game on its head", saying it was something plotted over lunch by he and captain Kruger van Wyk.
"The captain and I had a good chat about the prospect of a change of pace and the possibility of getting a spinner on.
"Todd probably hasn't bowled enough long spells for us. Some of the wickets we've played on this year have been more conducive for seam bowling but today it turned and bounced a bit for him.
"Todd has worked really hard on his bowling over the years and he's going to bowl a lot more for us."
Davidson's innings analysis was four for 28 while man-of-the-match Bennett claimed eight scalps for the match.
Canterbury's last title-winning team featured luminaries such as Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle and Chris Harris.
- NZPA
