Cricket: ND, Canterbury to clash in semifinal

By Terry Maddaford

HAMILTON - Let's hope the man playing the music has to go to work on Wednesday and so spare the players, umpires, spectators and everyone else at the Shell Cup semi-final the incessant din which did its best to ruin Saturday's clash between Northern Districts and Wellington.

Northern will be back at WestpacTrust Park then for a head-to-head, sudden-death battle with Canterbury to find Wellington's opponent in Saturday's final at the Basin Reseve - and hopefully without the intrusive music.

Canterbury kept their hopes alive with a crushing eight-wicket win over Auckland in Christchurch, while ND have to use their second life after going down to the Wellington Firebirds by 17 runs.

Umpires Doug Cowie and Dave Quested looked as though they had gone 15 rounds with an ear-bashing Mike Tyson after Wellington's win on Saturday - almost eight hours after the first ball had been bowled.

While not defending the ridiculously long time - just five minutes short of four hours - Wellington took to bowl the 49.4 overs they needed to topple Northern, Cowie said the noise from the blaring speakers had contributed to the protracted period spent in the middle.

Cowie said Wellington captain Roger Twose had difficulty making himself heard as the music blasted out between overs, when a wicket fell or when the ball was whacked to (34 times) or over (once) the boundary.

And with the rules weighted so heavily in favour of the team bowling second, Wellington escaped any penalty for stretching the innings almost into darkness.

The team bowling first must complete their 50 overs inside three-and-a-half hours - Northern took 3h 21m - or face a reduced number of overs when they bat. There is no penalty, monetary or otherwise, for the team fielding second.

As a game this one rarely moved out of first gear.
Taking first use of a good, if trifle slow, batting strip, Wellington, with reasonable contributions from Matthew Bell (38), Twose (54 before falling to another stunning Daniel Vettori catch) and Phil Chandler (37 before failing to beat a Vettori throw), reached 235 for eight.

Northern began steadily, reaching 75 without loss in 65 minutes from 15 overs, with Hamish Marshall overshadowing his usually more aggressive partner, Michael Parlane.

Gavin Larsen then ended what could have been a matchwinning start when he bowled an out of sorts Parlane. Richard Petrie undid Neal Parlane and Marshall departed for 57 when he just failed to beat a Craig Bulfin throw.

It was all uphill for the home side.

Bulfin, a horror start with a no-ball and three wides in his first over, came back to bowl four for eight and clean out dangerman Scott Styris. And for some yet-to-be- explained reason, Grant Bradburn, who did not get his chance until the eighth wicket fell, was left with an impossible salvage job.

Auckland's season ended quickly. At 41 for six they were dead and buried.

Only Adam Parore, who hung about for more than two hours for 50, showed resistance.

Canterbury, like Auckland, lost their first wicket to the first delivery of their innings but then settled in and took the runs they needed from just 28.3 overs.