Cricket: CD openers put on 428 in victory

Central Districts had the cricket historians thumbing through their resource material after a record breaking Plunket Shield victory today.

They stormed home by nine wickets after making ridiculously light work of a seemingly challenging 443-run target set them by Wellington captain Matthew Bell at the Basin Reserve here today.

Remarkably, openers Peter Ingram and Jamie How almost did all the work themselves, with a stack of records falling their way as Ingram scored 245 not out, his second first-class double century, and former international How more than held up his end with 176.

Their imposing stand of 428 set a new benchmark for a New Zealand first-class first wicket partnership, erasing the 387 put on by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis against the West Indies at Georgetown, Guyana, in 1971/72.

It was also the highest partnership for Central Districts for any wicket against any opposition, and bettered the previous provincial first wicket best of 373 by Bert Sutcliffe and Less Watt for Otago against Auckland in 1950/51.

By the time they were finally parted, when an understandably tiring How edged behind, he and Ingram had been together for 378 minutes as the Wellington bowlers were put to the sword.

Central Districts have some form chasing down large targets, with largely the same team scoring 450 for seven in the fourth innings to beat Canterbury at New Plymouth in March.

Bell was aware of that performance yesterday when he set the victory target for Central Districts, a decision criticised in some quarters for asking too much of the visitors.

But Central Districts, dismissed for just 205 in their first innings, showed Bell was wise to be cautious as Ingram and How resumed this morning on 69 without loss before imposing their will on a match Wellington had dominated for long periods.

Ingram, 31 and with 10 first-class centuries to his name, including a career-best 247, took a proactive approach, which How slowly but surely duplicated as they hunted down the distant target.

By the end Ingram faced 286 balls and hit 36 fours and one six, while How's century included 25 fours and three sixes.

- NZPA