Cricket: Loss of key pair puts Central on back foot

Central Districts were on the back foot after losing key batsmen Craig Spearman and Ben Smith on the second day of their Shell Trophy cricket match against Wellington in Napier yesterday.

At stumps, Central were 151 for three, a long way short of Wellington's first-innings score of 415.

Even with a long tail, Central's hopes today rest with overnight batsmen Glen Sulzberger and Mark Douglas.

Sulzberger spent nearly 2 1/2 hours compiling 26, while Douglas was forced into playing a relatively subdued role after the loss of English county professional Smith with the score on 122.

Both Smith and Spearman looked in good touch, with Smith and Sulzberger adding 64 for the third wicket and looking to establish a solid foundation before Smith was dismissed shortly after reaching his half-century.

He scored 55 from 103 balls in 142 minutes and played some classy shots in hitting seven boundaries.

Spearman also had an encouraging start and looked no less impressive, stroking the ball nicely and hitting four fours in reaching 23 in even time, before his first mistake saw him trapped leg-before.

Central could ill afford such setbacks after watching Wellington bat on yesterday morning and reach an imposing score.

They began the day at 269 for five and managed to top the 400 mark with useful contributions from frontline pacemen and former Central representatives Andrew Penn and Carl Bulfin.

After Grant Donaldson, who carried his overnight score from 25 to 66, became the second of three wickets to fall in the morning session, Central Districts were eager to finish off the Wellington innings quickly after lunch.

But Penn made 43 and Bulfin 32.

They put on 55 for the ninth wicket before Penn edged a delivery from offspinner Sulzberger to wicketkeeper Martyn Sigley.

Sulzberger took four for 79 from 37 overs, while teenage pace bowler Taraia Robin, who removed Bulfin to end the Wellington innings, finished with three for 84 from 23.1 overs.

- NZPA