Cricket: Hart's 156 sets Auckland back

By BOB PEARCE

Northern Districts batsman Matthew Hart scored a career-best 156 not out to ensure that Auckland will have to work hard today to finish a successful season in style.

Northern ended the third day at 280 for seven, a lead of 284 and the chance to set Auckland a tough target if they want to win outright.

The State Championship sums remain the same: If Wellington beat Otago outright at Alexandra, Auckland must pick up an outright against Northern to take the title. Any other result for Wellington and the Aucklanders will not need any points from their game at Eden Park.

But coach Mark O'Donnell wants his team to ignore the southern game and concentrate on winning.

Auckland, with nothing to be gained from heading Northern on the first innings, declared at their overnight total of 294 for seven, four runs behind.

For a while they had visions of a canter to victory as Craig Pryor accounted for James Marshall and Grant Robinson early on, but Hamish Marshall and Hart had other ideas.

At lunch it was 110 for two, with Marshall on 40 and Hart 39. They were finally separated after a 131-run partnership when Tama Canning took a smart catch at wide gully to dismiss Marshall for 57.

Hart came into top cricket as a left-arm spinner who could bat. But he is now a fulltime batsman and less-frequent spinner. He scored his maiden century for Northern against the touring South Africans three years ago.

Last week he knocked up 111 against Canterbury and yesterday he was rarely troubled by the eight bowlers Auckland tried.

His 100 came up off 171 balls with 17 fours, and at the close he had hit 25 fours in his 156.

As Auckland realised there were no easy wickets on the placid pitch, it became a game of cat and mouse - at times mostly mouse - as they tried to ensure that any total they had to chase was not set too quickly.

Matt Horne and Brad Nielsen did a lot of the bowling and at one stage Mark Orchard had three scoring shots in 59 balls before he was dismissed for six.

Joe Yovich (25) helped Hart in a 70-run partnership. But Pryor and Canning came back with the second new ball to take three wickets in the closing overs.