Cricket: Leaders lose edge to Auck bowlers

By CHRIS RATTUE

Auckland battled their way to a slight advantage over joint leaders Wellington as Cornwall Park made its debut as a Shell Trophy ground.

Wellington, who head the trophy race with Northern Districts going into the final two rounds, chose to bat and held the upper hand for much of the day until Auckland took the final six wickets in 13 overs.

That left Wellington on 247, well short of the sort of target from which they could have dictated terms.

Spinner Mark Haslam took the final three wickets without any addition to the score, but it was Chris Drum who was both chief wicket taker and workhorse.

The new ball bowler might have owed his place in the side to a halt in Auckland's player rotation policy - Tama Canning was on the drinks for the second successive match.

Drum spread his five wickets over four spells, the most successful being his last when he trapped Stephen Mather and Matthew Walker in front during a six-over spell which cost him just seven runs. Mather had brought the game to a grinding halt, eking out nine runs in two hours, during which he stayed on seven for 52 minutes and 46 deliveries.

Maybe the crucial blow was struck by Drum, when he removed Selwyn Blackmore for 65, aided by a superb reflex catch from Richard King at gully.

Blackmore had shown an aggressive hand, hitting Haslam over mid on for six and a four, although his third attempt just cleared Kyle Mills.

King, though, pulled in a tremendous catch, as the ball flew from Blackmore's bat towards the boundary.

With the umpires peering at their light meters, Auckland were forced to bring Haslam and Brooke Walker back into the attack late in the day, but it proved a fateful move for Wellington as Haslam finished the job Drum had started.

Auckland's attempt to start their innings was short-lived, with the umpires pulling stumps before a ball was bowled because of the poor light.

Auckland will open their batting today with Tim McIntosh and Richard Pudney, the 22-year-old Waitakere batsman who is making his first-class debut.