KEY POINTS:
The last round of the four-day championship ended yesterday with a flurry of centuries.
With the standings unchanged after all three matches ended in draws, table-toppers Wellington confirmed hosting rights for the final, beginning on Monday against Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.
Centuries were scored by Wellington's Neil Parlane (110) and Grant Elliott (196 not out) against Auckland, while in Napier, Central Districts' international batsman Ross Taylor warmed up for the Indian Premier Twenty20 League with a swashbuckling 152 off just 111 balls.
Taylor's hundred was the third of the match following teammate Peter Ingram's 112 in Central's first innings score of 390, while Daniel Flynn scored 109 in Northern's first innings total of 365.
No centuries were recorded in the Otago-Canterbury match in Dunedin but there were eight half centuries.
Wellington topped the standings with Canterbury second followed by Auckland, Otago, Northern Districts and Central Districts.
With the first two days lost because of bad weather, Wellington indulged in some batting practice for next week's final after losing the toss and being sent in to bat by Auckland.
Neil Parlane, resuming yesterday on his overnight score of 92, shared a 172-run partnership with Elliott for the third wicket before he departed.
Elliott, resuming on 45, went on to compile his fifth first-class century, exceeding his previous high of 125.
Colin Munro picked up three for 108 to be the best of Auckland's bowlers.
The match between Otago and Canterbury petered out after respective skippers Craig Cumming and Kruger Van Wyk called it off at tea.
Canterbury had entered the match requiring an outright victory as well as first innings points to have any chance of pipping Wellington to earn a home advantage for next week's final, but their mission was ended after Otago took first innings honours.
Otago declared on their overnight first innings score of 346 for nine yesterday morning.
There was some hope of an outright victory for the hosts when they had Canterbury 121 for three at lunch, with Cumming removing Johan Myburgh (55) and out-of-form international Peter Fulton, who managed just three runs yesterday to go with a duck in the first innings.
But Todd Astle and Shanan Stewart toughed it out as Cumming used 10 bowlers to try to winkle them out.
Astle was 79 not out and Stewart 55 not out in a 94-run stand that forced the early finish to the game.
In Napier, the match between Central Districts and Northern Districts ended when Central reached 392 for nine at tea in their second innings.
Taylor continued to mine a rich vein of form that started in the test series against England, and his innings was founded on 20 fours and eight sixes to go with a 69 in the first innings.
He celebrated reaching triple figures by smashing two consecutive sixes into the Harris Stand.
B.J. Arnel was the best Northern bowler yesterday with four for 65, giving him 10 wickets for the match.
Central's international, Mathew Sinclair, collected a pair of half centuries (90 and 57) in the match, but it might not be enough to book him a berth in the tour of England when the New Zealand selectors met later yesterday.
First innings points however could not prevent Central finishing bottom on the table.
- NZPA
