Cricket: Sinclair sets record as Central get off to slow start

Wellington bowler Grant Elliott bowls to Central Districts batsman Geoff Barnett who scored 41 on the opening day of the State Championship final. Marty Melville / Getty Images

Central Districts were 184 for two at stumps on a slow, dull opening day of the State Championship final against Wellington at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

Sent in to bat, a rather slow and tedious start saw Central openers Jarrod Englefield and Geoff Barnett score just six runs in the first 15 overs in damp, bowler-friendly conditions.

However, the pair managed a partnership of 81 before Barnett, on 41, was the first to go, lbw to Dale Rasmussen.

Englefield was joined by Mathew Sinclair and the pair took Central to 176 before Englefield, the Central captain, was caught by Stu Mills off Rasmussen for 69.

Englefield's innings included seven boundaries and lasted nearly 5 1/2 hours. He faced 240 balls

Barnett's 41 came off 129 balls in 166 minutes and included six boundaries.

Sinclair was unbeaten on 55 after a partnership of 95 with Englefield. Ross Taylor was not out one.

Only 86.5 overs were bowled when umpires decided to call it an early afternoon due to unsatisfactory light.

Key Wellington pace bowler Mark Gillespie was ruled out of the final after being hospitalised with a broken nose and other facial injuries when struck by a delivery from Canterbury paceman Hamish Bennett last week.

He was replaced by debutant Roger Fouhy, a former Hawke's Bay paceman now with the Eastern Suburbs club. Fouhy's 21 overs included eight maidens for just 38 runs. Rasmussen claimed two wickets in his 21.5 overs which included 10 maidens.

The final could be Sinclair's last match for Central as he is considering an offer from Eastern Province in South Africa. Sinclair, 30, was awarded the Redpath Cup for first-class batting last week.

And yesterday he set a record for his province when he overhauled Mike Shrimpton's 4551 to become the all-time highest first-class run scorer for Central Districts. He had gone into the match just one run shy of the record.

- NZPA