Cricket: Captain Magnificent flays Canterbury

Daniel Vettori on his way to a match-winning 138 at Eden Park outer oval yesterday. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Daniel Vettori again led from the front as Northern Districts made their seven-wicket victory over Canterbury yesterday look surprisingly easy.

Chasing the 261 for eight posted by the southerners on Eden Park's outer oval, Northern, led by Captain Magnificent, were unfazed in posting 263 for three with 4.2 overs to spare to book their spot in Saturday's final against Central Districts in New Plymouth.

A match-winning 193-run partnership between Vettori and vice-captain James Marshall saw off a Canterbury side packed with eight internationals.

Vettori's 138 overshadowed the 124 scored by opposing captain Craig McMillan which, at the time, appeared it could have been a match-winner.

There was no surprise in McMillan taking first use of the well-prepared pitch on what has generally been a batsman-friendly block this summer.

No surprise either in Northern having early success, with Daryl Tuffey and Graeme Aldridge at their accurate best in restricting the runs and claiming valuable scalps of Michael Papps and Nathan Astle.

In scoring nine runs before falling to Tuffey, Astle took his one-day domestic tally to 3009 - just 14 runs shy of Llorne Howell's record.

He will now have to wait until next season to challenge.

McMillan joined Peter Fulton in the ninth over at 20 for two and needing to play a captain's knock to halt what could have become a downhill spiral.

With New Zealand coach-selector John Bracewell and selector Ross Dykes taking a keen interest, McMillan did what he enjoys most - attacked the bowling.

He and Fulton added 35 before Fulton fell to a third umpire's call.

McMillan and Chris Cairns then scored at better than a run-a-minute to reach 94 when Cairns went to a well-held Joey Yovich catch off Vettori.

McMillan and Shanan Stewart combined in the most productive partnership of the innings - 65 runs in 43 minutes from 75 deliveries - before Stewart holed out to the fourth ball of James Marshall's opening over.

Marshall, the seventh bowler used by Vettori, responded to the challenge.

He conceded just seven runs from his first three overs before being mauled a little by McMillan and Neil Broom.

McMillan, 100 from 94 balls, eventually fell when attempting a cute reverse sweep to Aldridge.

That second wicket for Aldridge took his season's tally to 26 - only the 28 taken by Andre Adams a couple of seasons ago remains ahead of him as a season-best. Aldridge has the chance on Saturday to claim that record.

Broom's late flurry helped the score beyond 260.

Predictions that Northern would struggle on a pitch that threatened to get lower and slower found some favour early, but only until Vettori and Marshall worked into their innings.

They found little to trouble them in ticking off the milestones as the Canterbury effort flagged.

Vettori called the shots, and played them to perfection. He raced to 50 from just 34 balls, and worked the Canterbury bowlers almost at will.

He and Marshall went beyond half of the 262 runs they needed for victory in the 26th over and continued to accumulate with the minimum of risk.

The Canterbury attack showed little as McMillan called on his resources in an unflagging attempt to turn things around.

Nearing the end the interest, beyond the boundary at least, centred on the bid for a Northern Districts partnership record and later Marshall's bid for a second one-day century. Both failed.

A tired Vettori fell for 138 to a well-taken Chris Martin catch - looking into the sun at mid-wicket - and Marshall was left stranded on 95 when brother Hamish hit Paul Wiseman to the boundary to finish it.