Cricket: Penn magic gives Central easy victory

By Chris Rattue

It may not have been a catch which won a match. Central Districts were well on the road to victory against Auckland anyway.

But it certainly helped and for the few who were at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton yesterday, none will forget Andrew Penn's magnificent lunge on the rock hard outfield.

With Auckland's collapse towards a 101-run defeat already looking a formality, fast bowler Kerry Walmsley launched himself at a Campbell Furlong offspinner and sent the ball towering towards mid-wicket.

Penn, who had already bowled 18 superb overs in the blazing heat, turned from short leg and charged 35 metres towards the landing spot.

With two boundary fieldsmen having given up the chase, the big opening bowler lunged and snaffled the ball one-handed millimetres before the turf.

It was an absolute stunner, as good a catch as you could ever hope to see. Had the cameras been there, it would have been an automatic for classic catches, and the winner.

Central coach Dipak Patel, the well-travelled former international and English professional, could only remember one to match it. That had been a matchwinner, when he said Martin Crowe performed a similar miracle to get rid of Zimbabwe batsman David Houghton, who was in the 140s, in the 1987 World Cup in India.

"The fact that Andrew had just bowled a heap of overs made it even more special," said Patel.

Beaten Auckland captain Blair Pocock said: "It was just sensational and as good as most people have ever seen. I didn't give him a chance of getting there."

Penn had already taken four Auckland scalps on a spinner's wicket and he then cleaned up tailender Mark Haslam, with six overs remaining.

On a holding wicket Auckland never had a realistic chance of scoring the 295 they needed for victory in 70 overs, despite a fine innings from Lou Vincent, who cracked 83 in 166 minutes, including nine fours and four sixes.

This match proved that no matter how much of an old dog a cricket match might be, you can always conjure up some life in the final stanza. Three fairly dreary days were the lead-up to a spectacular final day.

Auckland's top order batting is inconsistent and their tail end a disaster.

Their last five batsmen averaged just six in this match.

* On an amazing afternoon 19-year-old leg spinner Tim Anderson, son of former New Zealand opener Robert Anderson, completed the 32nd hat-trick by a New Zealander in first class cricket.

Anderson, playing just his second match, dismissed Kerry Walmsley and Mark Haslam with the final deliveries of Auckland's first innings and then Aaron Barnes with his first ball in their second innings.