Cricket: Douglas is rock in Central's solid win

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Central Districts were made to work a good deal harder than they had in their Shell Cup matches last week, but in the end the result was the same.

The Jacob Oram-led Central side scored the 228 they needed to beat Northern Districts by three wickets with two-and-a-half overs to spare in yesterday's semifinal at McLean Park, in Napier.

Mark Douglas led the way to the final against top qualifiers Canterbury - the first of three games is back in Napier on Wednesday - with a superb, unbeaten 89.

At times, the Central innings showed signs of the stutters, but Douglas remained calm and for 132 minutes held centre-stage.

He was there at the end as Central celebrated a well-deserved victory.

Northern, asked to bat first, struggled to get real momentum early on.

Apart from Andrew Schwass, who conceded 19 from his first two overs as Daniel Vettori gave Northern some much-needed impetus, the Central attack - Oram had just five bowlers to call on - was steady rather than threatening.

Oram, for the first time in 34 Shell Cup outings, bowled his full complement of 10 overs and conceded 35 runs to continue his containing role.

In restricting the Northerners through the middle stages, Central kept themselves in touch.

Hamish Marshall needed 104 minutes and 74 deliveries for his 44.

Northern had only 19 fours and no sixes in their 50 overs.

Apart from Vettori's 75 from 60 deliveries, the early batting struggled but without ever allowing the attack to take complete control.

A spirited late rally from Grant Bradburn and Robbie Hart took the total beyond 200, but it was felt the 227 for six they did manage was perhaps 20 or so shy of a competitive target.

The Central bowlers did well.

They gave up just two wides and two no balls and bowled a line which gave the batsmen little freedom.

Exactly 100 of Northern's runs came from singles.

The Northern bowlers could not follow Central's example.

Tuffey bowled three leg-side wides in his first over and another when he came back on at the death.

Craig Spearman, mindful of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs, clubbed Vettori for three sixes over mid-on, while Mathew Sinclair, Douglas and Oram all helped themselves to boundaries as they maintained a run rate close to the required 4.56 an over.

The Central innings, which had gained real momentum with Sinclair and Spearman together, got the staggers in Alex Tait's second over when he bowled Sinclair and English professional Ben Smith with successive deliveries.

Spearman's departure, after he had scored 68 at a run a ball, again stalled the Cental chase, and when Oram and Glen Sulzberger fell in the space of three deliveries in Vettori's penultimate over, Northern were back in it.

But Central, led by a super-composed Douglas, were determined they would not let victory slip.

With wicketkeeper Bevan Griggs playing a support role, Douglas steered Central closer.

And after Griggs had fallen to Bradburn's bowling, Schwass continued the support role to see his side home.