Cricket: Discarded internationals post record partnership

A berth in the State Championship cricket final is Wellington's to lose after Matthew Walker and Chris Nevin flayed Otago's bowlers to all parts of the Basin Reserve yesterday en route to a record-breaking partnership.

The discarded internationals both posted centuries and shared a record seventh-wicket stand of 250 at a shade under a run a minute as Wellington went from 262 for six overnight to a commanding 482 for nine declared in their first innings.

Otago raced to 154 for two off 37 overs at stumps on the second day of the four-day game but time and the weather look to be against them pulling off the outright win they need to pip Wellington to the final on March 4-7.

Walker finished with a career best 126 off 223 balls while Nevin's unbeaten 124 took 19 more deliveries as the pair surpassed the previous Wellington seventh-wicket record of 168 set by K C James and H M McGirr in 1927-28 and fell just 15 runs short of the New Zealand record.

Otago are likely to declare once they pass the follow-on mark of 332 and showed late yesterday they were in a hurry to get there, with Chris Gaffaney thumping 69 off 79 balls and captain Craig Cumming unbeaten on 45.

Wellington, who are all but assured of a finals berth if they secured first innings points, will be in no hurry to set Otago a last innings run chase.

* Northern Districts captain Rob Hart believes only rain and Peter Fulton stand in the way of Canterbury avoiding the follow on in their match in Gisborne.

Canterbury will resume today on 145 for five in their first innings, still well short of the follow on mark of 284 after Northern Districts made 434 at Harry Barker Reserve.

Hart admitted his biggest concern was the heavy rain forecast for the area.

Fulton reached stumps yesterday unbeaten on 74 and with the pitch playing few tricks, Hart said it would take a big effort to mop up the Canterbury tail for less than the follow-on target.

Resuming today with Fulton will be Paul Wiseman, on 23, after the pair put on 63 for the sixth wicket in fairly effortless fashion.

That ease of their partnership was a far cry from the first 20 overs of the innings when Joseph Yovich, Gareth West and Graeme Aldridge all got the new ball to do a bit and have Canterbury battling at 28 for three.

Once the new ball lost a degree of shine things settled down, but Northern Districts still managed to claim two bonus scalps when Mark Orchard dismissed Neil Broom and Aaron Redmond in quick succession.

Resuming yesterday at 330 for six, Yovich and Hart added a further 88 runs for the seventh wicket, with Yovich progressing from his overnight 12 through to 65.

Hart, who made 35, praised the pitch, which he said made playing attractive cricket a great deal easier.

* Central Districts could not gain the ascendancy in their match against Auckland at Pukekura Park.

Central Districts reached 268 for eight on the second day when bad light stopped play and were still 48 runs behind Auckland's first innings total of 316.

Just over an hour's play was lost midway through the afternoon because of a passing shower.

When the players left the field, Central Districts were 70 for three, with middle order batsmen Glen Sulzberger and Ross Taylor in good form.

When play resumed, the partnership took the home side through to 144 before Taylor paid the penalty for trying to hit Andre Adams out of the attack once too often. His cavalier 52 from 31 balls included five sixes and three fours.

- NZPA