Cricket: Consistent Grafton take club honours

Grafton beat Howick Pakuranga by a first-innings margin of 345 at Victoria Park to win the Auckland club cricket championship.

Howick Pakuranga had to score 468 in a full day's play to take the honours, but by lunch were out of contention at 105 for six.

Andre Adams, whose brilliant innings of 141 on the first day had enabled Grafton to reach their huge score, bowled tightly, but it was fast-medium bowler Sean Gear and off-spinner Tane Topia, with four wickets each, who knocked the Howick Pakuranga top-order over.

Led by former Canterbury and Auckland wicketkeeper Richard Irving, Grafton's victory came about through the consistency of key players such as Adams, Lou Vincent, Nick Jury, Guy Coleman, Gear and Topia.

Parnell lost to Cornwall by four wickets, but their first-innings lead provided enough points for the side promoted to the premier division at the start of the season, to take second place in the competition.

Suburbs New Lynn faced relegation at the start of the day, but came off the floor to beat Takapuna by five wickets and consign the North Harbour side to the first division next season.

East Coast Bays won the plate competition, despite being headed on the first innings by North Shore.

Birkenhead skipper Michael Clark, with an unbeaten innings of 222, led his side to an innings victory over University Akarana and secured promotion to the first division.

Birkenhead won the division by 24.80 points from Waitakere City, who suffered a first-innings loss to third-placed Papatoetoe.

Papatoetoe captured the women's championship.