Cricket: Wellington regain ground

Otago retain the whip hand, but Wellington clawed back some lost ground in their domestic championship match in Alexandra yesterday.

Matthew Walker claimed career-best bowling figures and Luke Woodcock celebrated his 21st birthday with an unbeaten half-century as Wellington ensured the race with Auckland for the title would go down to the last day of the season.

Only Chris Gaffaney and Warren McSkimming prospered with the bat yesterday as Otago lost their last six wickets for 102 to finish with 383, a lead of 180.

By stumps on another magnificent Alexandra day, Wellington had reached 160 for four wickets to give themselves a chance of setting Otago an awkward run chase today.

Wellington still have a deficit of 20, but have enough strength in their lower order batting to suggest this game is far from a done deal.

When James Franklin was bowled by a ball from Shayne O'Connor which kept low to leave Wellington 108 for four, there was optimism that Otago could make a sizeable dent in the visitors' armoury by last night.

But Grant Donaldson survived a concerted appeal for caught behind off his second ball from O'Connor and, by stumps, he and Woodcock had added 52 in 91 minutes.

Woodcock, an elegant left-hander, had made 50 off 136 balls, including six fours, and Donaldson, although chancy at times, had denied Otago further success.

Wellington will play themselves in and then seek to lift the tempo today because they must win outright to have a chance of winning the title.

* The run-feast continued in Napier when Canterbury captain Gary Stead scored the fourth century and Central Districts teenager Ross Taylor the third half-century of their match.

Canterbury reached 290 for eight declared in reply to Central's mammoth first innings of 542 for four declared, and the home side were 109 for three at stumps on day three.

After not enforcing the follow-on, Central Districts skipper Craig Spearman is expected to declare overnight, leaving the visitors a target of 362 on a superb batting strip.

It should ensure an interesting day's play after the first day produced 316 for the loss of four wickets, the second day 300 and again only four wickets, and 325 runs for seven wickets yesterday.

Stead's eighth first-class century was the highlight of the day. The long-serving Canterbury batsman began on 11 and with his team struggling at 74 for four.

But Stead and 19-year-old Neil Broom, who made 63, carried their side through the morning session without further mishap and to lunch at 216 for four.

Their partnership of 159 came to an abrupt end at the start of the second session with Central paceman Michael Mason producing his best spell of the match.

Mason removed Broom, wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins and Stead within seven overs for just 11 runs to have Canterbury in trouble at 249 for seven.

Stead batted for four hours, faced 209 balls and hit 13 boundaries in holding his team's innings together, while Broom, in his debut season, hit six fours and three sixes in posting his second first-class 50 and matching his highest score.

- NZPA