Cricket: Northern sitting pretty on top of Shell Trophy table

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The Northern Districts cricket team head to Rangiora for Wednesday's showdown with Canterbury buoyed by yet another outright win and with a handy five-point lead at the top of the Shell Trophy competition points table.

Northern finished off Central Districts by eight wickets in Taupo on Saturday as thunder and lightning threatened to disrupt their match.

Northern have now had seven successive victories, a trophy record, and one behind the first-class record of eight set in the pre-Plunket Shield era by Canterbury.

Northern will be all too aware what to expect from a Canterbury side encouraged by their first-innings win over Auckland.

Defending the 477 they scored in their first innings of the match in Christchurch, Canterbury eventually took the points when they picked up the four remaining Auckland wickets in dismissing the visitors for 435.

Opener Tim McIntosh, aged 21, added 10 runs to his overnight 172 before chopping a ball from left-arm spinner Carl Anderson on to his stumps.

McIntosh was at the crease for more than nine hours in defying the Canterbury attack, led by Warren Wisneski, who finished with a career-best seven for 151 from a marathon 52 overs.

At stumps, Canterbury were 141 for five in a rather meaningless second-innings knock.

Auckland are pointless after two matches, sharing bottom place on the table with Otago, who had lost inside three days to Wellington.

Northern's last trophy clash with Canterbury in Christchurch in late March was a seesaw game, with Canterbury easily taking first-innings points by scoring 300 and then dismissing Northern for 191.

But the northerners bundled Canterbury out for 139 and hit off the 251 runs they needed for victory for the loss of only four wickets.

In Taupo on Saturday, Northern's win over Central was even easier. Central added just two runs from 4.5 overs to leave the home side exactly 100 for victory.

They began slowly. James Marshall was trapped leg-before for five, the 10th such dismissal of the match, and Michael Parlane departed for one with the total at 25.

Then Mark Bailey and Neal Parlane turned Northern's fortunes around, scoring the 75 still required.

In other third-round action starting on Wednesday, Auckland have their first home match of the season, meeting Otago - bolstered by the return of test offspinner Paul Wiseman - at Eden Park's outer oval, and Wellington will host Central Districts.