Cricket: Remarkable win for Northern

Tailenders Joseph Yovich and Ian Butler defied the odds to see Northern Districts clinch their first points in the competition after a nail-biting one-wicket victory in Napier yesterday.

Central Districts threw everything at the visitors after Matthew Hart and Hamish Marshall earlier set the platform to overhaul the 342 runs needed for victory after resuming at 58 for three.

Yovich was unbeaten on 54 after tormenting Central's front-line bowlers, while Butler, not out on 14, showed resilience for a No 11 batsman.

"It's been a terrific game of cricket. There wouldn't too many times that a team would go out and score 479 batting first and lose the game with the opposition chasing 400," a jubilant Northern coach, Bruce Blair, said.

"To be honest, even though we were three down on Wednesday night, I knew we had some good batsmen to come.

"I felt if we could get in and get going then we would give ourselves a chance."

It marked just the fourth occasion a team has scored 400 or more to win a first-class match in New Zealand.

"We felt a bit anxious when we were nine down with 48 to go, but I knew that if Ian [Butler] stayed focus with Joey [Yovich] out there they would have enough to bring us home," he said.

The sixth-wicket partnership of 216 between Hart and Marshall gave Northern the life they needed, with Hart hitting 107 from 172 balls, with one six, and 14 boundaries, while Marshall clobbered 128 from 184 balls, with 21 fours.

* It was a soggy day at the Basin Reserve yesterday, but nowhere as gloomy outdoors as it was in the Wellington team's dressing room.

The big wet denied Wellington a probable outright victory over Otago, much to the frustration of coach Vaughn Johnson and his players.

Johnson has lost count of the times Wellington, who needed just 166 runs for victory on a batting-friendly pitch, have been robbed by fickle weather during his reign.

"We do seem to get the rough end of it, but at the end of the day we can't do much about it. We're all a bit dark at the moment, but we can moan and groan all we like, it's not going to change anything," he said.

"You would have to back yourself getting 160-odd on that wicket."

With leaders Auckland embarrassing Canterbury by an innings and 60 runs inside two days in Christchurch, and Northern Districts pipping Central Districts, the loss of the six points Wellington should have collected was costly.

Wellington, who were 85 for two in their chase for 251 when play was finally abandoned at 4.30pm, lie fourth equal the points table with just two points, 14 behind Auckland, as the domestic focus shifts to the start of the State Shield one-day championship on December 27.

Points: Auckland 16, Central 10, Northern 6, Wellington 2, Otago 2, Canterbury 0.

- NZPA