Cricket: Northern bowlers stifle Canterbury's chase

By Terry Maddaford

MT MAUNGANUI - Northern District's cricket hoodoo over arch-rivals Canterbury lives on.

At Blake Park yesterday, the Robbie Hart-led Northerners scored a most unlikely - but richly deserved - 10-run win in their second round Shell Cup clash to continue the unbeaten trot they enjoyed in four cup games last season.

The visitors should have won in a canter. Instead it became a nightmare - a game thrown away.

Chasing the modest 225 for 7 scored by ND, Canterbury, with Mark Hastings leading the way, were cruising at 105 without loss after 25 overs.

Yet it was at that point Northern coach Chris Kuggeleijn predicted, to anyone who would listen, his side would get up and win by 12 runs. A bold statement but one which proved almost spot on.

Northern began the game as if they doubted their ability to bounce back from their first-up loss to Central in Taupo.

Mark Bailey scored the only duck of the match at the top of their order and there were token contributions from others as they struggled to 96 for 5 in the 26th over.

But Scot Styris and Matt Hart took up the challenge, added 106 runs in 80 minutes to at least give some respectability to the score.

But when Graeme Aldridge dropped Hastings on two (off the luckless Daryl Tuffey), visions of the disaster in Taupo returned.

Hastings, opening the innings for the first time in a cup game in place of the injured Llorne Howell, responded magnificently.

By the time he was dismissed, he had almost exceeded his tally of 104 runs from 18 previous cup games but he would have happily traded his 95 for a Canterbury victory.

At 161 for 2 with 10 overs to face, the visitors should have waltzed home. Instead they were pinned down by tight bowling from Alex Tait and Styris and lost their way.

Needing 36 from 4 overs and with wickets in hand they should have coasted home but could not find the big shots as the Northerners strangled any remaining hope.

For Northern, it was just the fillip needed for tomorrow's game against Wellington and their return to Blake Park on Sunday to play Auckland.