Cricket: Feathers fly as pace rules

By Terry Maddaford

GISBORNE - About the time Scott Styris was being announced as the captain of the New Zealand A cricket team, he was having a one-ball, no-run, second innings for Northern Districts.

Frustrated by his golden duck, Styris, not much later, grabbed the ball and ripped Otago apart with a career-best six for 32.

In a Shell Trophy game which barely went into the sixth session at Harry Barker Reserve in Gisborne, ND beat Otago by 65 runs to return to the top of the table and assure themselves of a finals berth.

The game was as bizarre as it gets. Forty wickets fell for only 447 runs, 13 batsmen failed to score, Styris and Joseph Yovich each managed a pair, and only two of the 166.5 overs were not bowled by pace bowlers.

There were some questions about the pitch which offered movement off the seam for the fast bowlers throughout. But that alone could not excuse the constant trek of batsmen to and from the wicket.

Mark Bailey and Chris Gaffaney were the only batsmen to reach double figures in both their innings. Other batsmen played rash shots to give bowlers wickets they hardly had to work for.

Styris removed young Hayden Anderson for 36 to spell the beginning of the end for Otago, and there was no stopping him as Otago vainly sought the modest 180 they needed for victory.

In the end, Styris was rewarded with his second six-wicket bag at the ground, reaching it when he trapped Gaffaney leg-before at 43.

After four completed rounds, Northern have 20 points, Auckland 18 and Central Districts 14. Behind them are Otago on 8, Wellington on 2 and Canterbury with none.

In the key last-round clash, Auckland meet CD at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland from Thursday. ND are assured of their place in the final while CD will have to beat Auckland outright to get through.