Cricket: Title fight goes down to the final day

By TERRY MADDAFORD and NZPA

The calculators are ready as Auckland and Wellington head into the last day of the domestic season today.

After an absorbing third day's play at Colin Maiden Park yesterday, Wellington must continue to set the pace to have any chance of retaining the title they won last season.

Batting a second time after Brooke Walker had declared Auckland's first innings closed at 215 for nine - still 44 runs shy of the target needed to avoid the follow-on - Wellington were 10 for one when bad light forced an early close.

In not enforcing the follow-on, Matthew Bell reckoned on giving his side a better chance of snaring the State Championship.

If Auckland had been asked to follow on, they would have needed to reach only 147 runs to take the title.

Now, all kinds of calculations might be needed, but only if Wellington take outright points to match the home side in the number of outright wins for the season.

There were mixed emotions on a number of fronts yesterday: the Wellington players wore black armbands as a mark of respect following the death of coach Vaughn Johnson's mother, and the Auckland players celebrated Andre Adams selection in the third test squad, but later had to come to terms with the same player's citing for a breach of the code of conduct while fielding.

Adams was back in the spotlight later when subject to a debate between umpires Brent Bowden and Tony Hill following an appeal for a catch at the wicket by Bell off Andrew Penn.

While Hill, at square leg, confirmed the catch had been taken he, like Bowden, was not sure the ball had been hit.

Bowden returned to his position behind the stumps and nodded his head - an action which had the Wellington players celebrating.

However, Bowden was merely nodding to say "not out" so Adams, on 10, survived - only to be dismissed six runs later.

Hill later confirmed he had led the move to cite Adams, but the report had been signed by both umpires. That is hardly surprising given the amount of time the pair spend together, especially as each wicket falls.

Among all the drama, there was some cricket, including a useful innings from Tim McIntosh - 68 in 186 minutes.

Rob Nicol scored 42 before he was run out.

Iain O'Brien was the pick of the Wellington attack with three wickets for 41 from 21 overs.

Part-time left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock picked up a couple of wickets as a tight rein was maintained on the Auckland batting.

But calculators may take over today in what could yet be a close finish to a long season.

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It was "a bit special" for James Marshall that identical twin brother Hamish was batting with him when he reached his double century for Northern Districts against Canterbury.

Hamish Marshall, who scored 23, had departed by the time his brother went on to establish a new Northern Districts' first-class individual record score of 235 and lift his side to 498 for eight declared, a first innings lead of 158.

Canterbury reduced that deficit by four in two overs to stumps, but face the mundane task of batting out most of today to salvage a draw in Christchurch.

"We talked about it. Hamish told me 'I'll be there for your 200,' and he was. That was a bit special and it's a shame we couldn't have gone on longer," James Marshall said after his innings, which lasted 542 minutes.

He displaced team-mate Scott Styris (who made an unbeaten 212 against Otago at Hamilton only last week) as Northern Districts' top scorer, and took his season's aggregate past 700 runs.

Also overtaken was John Parker (195) as the association's highest scorer against Canterbury. It was a clinical dismantling of a Canterbury bowling battery which had enthusiastically set out to defend the home side's first innings of 338.

By the time Marshall and his mates were finished with them, the bowlers were just about on their knees.

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Central Districts crashed to an eight-wicket loss to Otago with a day to spare in Napier.

With a first-innings deficit of 90, Central lost their last eight second-innings wickets for only 40 to hand the competition wooden-spooners a comfortable victory.

Otago reached their target of 63 in 17 overs for their first outright win of an otherwise disappointing season.

Appropriately, opener Chris Gaffaney led the way with 35 not out, to take his season aggregate to 577, easily the best of the Otago batsmen.

Central had no one to match Gaffaney, with test reject Mathew Sinclair's 42 the top score of the match for the home team.

Sinclair and Glen Sulzberger, who made 26, were promising to establish a big partnership to keep Central in the game.

But when Otago allrounder Nathan Morland took a superb catch in the gully to dismiss Sinclair and end their 53-run stand for the third wicket just before lunch, the collapse began.

Central skipper Jacob Oram was out first ball to leave his side at 112 for four at the break.

It was a procession in the second session, with only wicketkeeper Bevan Griggs (24) sticking around for any length of time.

Otago paceman Kerry Walmsley removed the last two Central batsmen within three balls, to finish with figures of four for 37 from 18.3 overs and eight wickets for the match.