Cricket: Coach confident Aces will return to winning form

Kyle Mills

More runs from an experienced top order and the injection of the international one-day all rounders Kyle Mills and Andre Adams should ensure a return to a more competitive Auckland Aces over the last two matches of the four-day national provincial championship.

That at least was the hope of Auckland coach Mark O'Donnell after his side marred what otherwise has been an outstanding campaign by crashing yesterday on Eden Park's outer oval to a 240-run loss to Northern Districts.

Chasing a mammoth 388 to win, Auckland lost their last six wickets quickly to be all out just before lunch for 147.

O'Donnell, however, was confident that it was a one-off lapse and they would return to form in the last qualifying round match against Central Districts starting in Napier on Saturday and then for the final on the outer oval at Eden Park from April 3-7.

O'Donnell had no doubt that having already made the final, and with Daryl Tuffey and Scott Styris out of the Northern side, Auckland had been affected by complacency.

"But if there has been a positive to come out of this match it is that there is no room for complacency now," he said. "With the final not far away it was the perfect time to get a wake-up call."

Auckland, he agreed, had been outbowled, outbatted and outfielded by the young Northern side, with the failure of experienced batsmen Richard Jones and Matt Horne to survive the new-ball attack in either innings a critical factor.

The expected return for the Central match of Mills, who missed playing Northern with an Achilles tendon problem, and Adams, who has been ill, should lengthen the batting as well as sharpen the bowling attack which has lost the young quick Gareth Shaw to a broken finger.

The only resistance in Auckland's second innings yesterday came from allrounder Aaron Barnes, who struck some powerful blows in his half-century. But apart from Tama Canning, with 42 late on Sunday, no other Auckland batsman got to double figures.

Graeme Aldridge continued the consistent returns he has had this season by gaining the early breakthroughs again yesterday but the outstanding bowling for Northern came from left-arm spinner Bruce Martin.

He took four cheap wickets and with worries over the ongoing fitness of the champion Daniel Vettori, his performance must have impressed national selector Ross Dykes, who was among the handful of spectators.

* Wellington picked up the two points they came to collect by heading off Central Districts on the first innings in Pamerston North, reports NZPA.

The match was called off at tea on the fourth and final day with Wellington 38 for two in their second innings after Central were dismissed 10 overs after lunch for 497.

In a game which was far from dour thanks to the glut of run-scoring, Wellington made 590 for eight declared in their first innings, giving them first innings points and a lead of 93.

On a true batting track at Fitzherbert Park, Central had looked likely to get close to Wellington's total when play resumed yesterday.

Central were 360 for four overnight with their two centurions from Sunday, Jarrod Englefield and Ross Taylor, still at the crease.

Englefield had been 108 not out and finally holed out in the covers to Matthew Bell off Wellington's best bowler, left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock, for the addition of 19 runs and a totsal of 127 from 206 balls.

Taylor went on to make 184 in a six-hour stay before being caught at slip off Pakistani Azhar Abbas. It was his maiden first-class century and came off 296 balls.

Taylor and Englefield put on 301 for the fifth wicket, only for Central to lose their last five for 32 runs.

* In Dunedin, Otago crashed to their second straight outright defeat as Canterbury easily won by 168 runs at the University Oval.

Otago were bowled out for 203 and 222.

Canterbury declared overnight at 374 for five, leaving Otago the unlikely target of 391 for victory.

They required a run rate of 3.91 from a minimum of 100 overs and, with their season's best total at 348, survival looked the best option.

Otago slumped to nine for two, but Muhammad Wasim and Greg Todd combined to see off the dangerous Shane Bond. Paul Wiseman, who took five for 48 in the first innings, knocked over another six in the second, capturing 11 wickets for 105 runs for the match.

Points: Auckland 38, Wellington 30, Canterbury 24, Northern Districts 22, Central Districts 18, Otago 12.