Cricket: King lords it over former team-mates

DUNEDIN - Richard King's century against his former province Otago provided the backbone of Auckland's innings on the first day of the Shell Trophy cricket match at Carisbrook yesterday.

King, 26, scored an unbeaten 130 against Otago at Eden Park last summer and his 104 yesterday was instrumental in Auckland achieving 259 for seven by stumps.

David Sewell claimed the wickets of King and Brooke Walker late in the day to bring the match back into some sort of balance, but the honours were mainly with Auckland.

There were whoops of delight when Otago won the toss and had first use of a green pitch, but they were muffled by the end of the day.

When Auckland slumped to 63 for four just before lunch, it seemed they could be struggling to reach 150 despite some erratic Otago bowling.

But the afternoon belonged to Auckland, and King in particular, as he prospered in the company of Aaron Barnes and Walker and registered his third first-class century.

Barnes, tall and upright, drove with a flourish and there were seven fours and a six over backward square in his 47 off 82 balls as he and King added 100 for the fifth wicket in 114 minutes.

He was eventually out when he went to drive Warren McSkimming and had his off-stump knocked back, but the Auckland innings had gained momentum.

Walker proved an admirable foil as he helped King add 92 for the sixth wicket in 131 minutes before he sparred at Sewell and was taken by Stephen Mather at second slip. Walker had faced 106 balls for his 22 but it was an invaluable innings.

The Otago players thought they had him caught behind off Mather when he was seven, but otherwise he was in little trouble.

King, who scored his 50 off 110 balls, reached his century only 63 balls later when he cover drove McSkimming magnificently for four.

He took the attack to the Otago bowlers after tea, twice smashing Mather through the covers for four in an over and driving off-spinner Nathan Morland over long-off for six. But he was becalmed after reaching his century and he scored only a single off 31 balls before he cut a shortish ball from Sewell straight to Morland in the gully.

King had scored his 104 in 258 minutes from 204 balls and struck 13 fours and a six.

Tama Canning and Kyle Mills survived until stumps and they will be seeking to lift Auckland beyond 300 tomorrow.

Otago, for their part, will need to wrap the innings up quickly if they want to take command.

The Otago bowlers were too often too short on a pitch which demanded bowling of a fuller length to draw the batsmen forward.

Shayne O'Connor came back reasonably well after a disappointing first spell, Sewell took three wickets but was wayward while McSkimming bowled some testing overs. But the pressure on the Auckland batsmen was not sustained.

Blair Pocock and Tim McIntosh gave Auckland a sound start before Pocock was adjudged leg before to O'Connor but John Aiken lasted only briefly before he was well caught, low down to his left, by Martyn Croy off Sewell.

But McIntosh and Lou Vincent dug in before both were dismissed in quick succession to leave Auckland shakily placed at 63 for four.

McIntosh batted 126 minutes for 24 before he shaped to dab a ball from Mather through the slips and played on and, to the first ball of O'Connor's next over, Vincent pushed forward and was caught behind.

The match was 30 minutes late starting but not because of the weather. For one of the rare times in first-class cricket, play was held up by an umpire after Steve Dunne's flight was late leaving Wellington.

- NZPA