Cricket: Defending champions on course for finals

By CHRIS RATTUE

CHRISTCHURCH - The Canterbury reserve forces have the dominant cricket province well on the way to another Shell Cup finals appearance after a comfortable seven-wicket win over Auckland yesterday.

Despite providing the core of the New Zealand side, the Canterbury lesser-lights have the cup champions as the only unbeaten side after the first four rounds.

With their big guns returning when the two-round competition resumes on Friday next week, Canterbury already look certainties to finish in the top three who will contest the final stages.

Under this season's new format, the top seeds are automatic entries into a best-of-three finals series early next month, and Canterbury are already strong favourites to be that side. A playoff between the second and third sides will find the other finals contenders.

Auckland are due to get Dion Nash and Adam Parore back, although national coach David Trist advised Auckland yesterday that Nash, who has a history of injuries, would need a medical clearamce before taking part in the rest of the cup competition. It is likely he will play only as a batsman against Northern Districts next Friday.

Auckland's brittle top-order batting was finally exposed at Jade Stadium. The side triumphed in their first three matches when chasing low totals, but after choosing to bat first yesterday, they collapsed to 150 all out as they struggled against the spin of Carl Anderson on a slow wicket.

Top-order batsmen John Aiken, Blair Pocock, Lou Vincent, Llorne Howell and Stephen Lynch are all struggling for runs.

Between them, they have had 15 innings over the four rounds so far, and only one of those knocks - Aiken's unbeaten 44 against Central - has climbed above 15.

Pocock, who is struggling with a rib injury, has just 22 runs from three turns at bat, Vincent has 26 from three, Howell 23 from three, and Lynch, who has a back complaint, 23 from two.

It has been left to Aaron Barnes and some of the lower-order players to provide the runs. Yesterday, Tamahau Canning was again the star after his matchwinning knock against Otago.

He came in with the innings in disarray at 59 for five and hit 62 from 83 balls before being run out going for a second run and losing out to Aaron Redmond's throw from deep third man.

Medium pacer Andre Adams was again Auckland's main wicket-taker and provided a glimmer of hope, but young batting star Jarrod Englefield and the ever-steady Gary Stead steered Canterbury to victory.

Adams showed off his indoor cricket skills with a brilliant diving run out of Craig Cumming and then dismissed Brad Doody and Redmond in the 18th over.

Adams now has the extraordinary figures of 13 wickets for 78 from 34 overs in the four cup games this season.

But he and the battery of Auckland medium pacers never looked like penetrating against Englefield, who has 136 runs from three cup innings this season. Auckland could have done with some spinning support for Brooke Walker on the slow pitch, but a total of 150 always looked difficult to defend.

Auckland take on Northern Districts in Hamilton, Central play Otago in New Plymouth, and Wellington are at home to Canterbury when the cup resumes next week.