Cricket: Top-order batsmen fail team

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Northern Districts' second-place finish behind Wellington in the 2000-2001 Shell Trophy raises some interesting questions.

While the Chris Kuggeleijn-coached side took some satisfaction in taking Wellington to the final round before handing over the trophy at the Basin Reserve yesterday, there remains a feeling they were a trifle lucky to get so close.

They were badly let down at the top of their batting order.

James Marshall did not reach 30 in 18 innings. Michael Parlane, apart from a century in the eighth round and an earlier 60 against Wellington, did not get beyond 50.

Mark Bailey remained the enigma. Still one of the best stroke-makers in New Zealand cricket, Bailey scored 76 in the opening game against Auckland. He never got close again.

After 85 games for ND, Bailey, whose wife is expecting their second child, might be considering his future.

Hamish Marshall, who came back from his one-test tour to South Africa to bat at No 4, was handed 83 runs by Otago. He managed little else.

Northern, therefore, had to look to the middle of their batting order and their often below-strength bowling attack.

Grant Bradburn will surely be named their player of the year.

He finished the season with a well-deserved century yesterday as Northern reached 247 for six in their second innings in a game which had died a day earlier - only to fall to the last act of the match when he was caught by Chris Nevin at mid-wicket off the first and only ball bowled by Richard Jones in first-class play.

Bradburn, Matthew Hart, Joseph Yovich and Simon Doull scored the runs those ahead of them failed to notch up in keeping Northern in the trophy race.

Yovich, Daryl Tuffey, Bradburn, Doull, Graeme Aldridge and Bruce %Martin carried the bowling workload, %with Bradburn and Yovich the most successful and Martin the most disappointing in a season in which he was expected to fill the gap left by Daniel Vettori's unavailability.

Kuggeleijn admitted that the team did not play as well this season as they had previously. He hinted that with no great pool of readymade replacements, the association might again be forced to look overseas.

While Northern continues to produce players who have gone elsewhere, they rarely attract from within New Zealand.