da spicy bet： Canterbury narrowly won the first innings points, but Northern Districts isthe only side with a realistic chance of achieving outright victory, after aschizophrenic day’s cricket on day three
da bet7： Steve Deane15-Dec-2000Canterbury narrowly won the first innings points, but Northern Districts isthe only side with a realistic chance of achieving outright victory, after aschizophrenic day’s cricket on day three.In a dramatic first half-hour Stephen Cunis ripped the heart out of the NDmiddle order with a devastating display of swing bowling. In muggy, overcastconditions he picked up three wickets in a spell of six consecutive maidenovers.He first removed night watchman Bruce Martin (0) and overnight batsman NeilParlane (35). He then picked up the scalp of the unfortunate Grant Bradburnfor a duck in his one-hundredth first class match for ND.Joseph Yovich fell before lunch, LBW to the left arm spin of Carl Anderson,and Northern looked in dire trouble going to the break at 188/7.But the defending champions are not a side that throws the towel in whenthings start getting ugly. A fighting undefeated 72 from Matt Hart providedthe backbone to Northern’s tail-end resistance. His partnerships of 31 withYovich and 44 with brother Robbie gave the ND effort some respectability.Then back-to-back record stands against Canterbury of 69 (ninth wicket) withSimon Doull and 62 (tenth wicket) with Graeme Aldridge took Northern towithin sight of first innings points.Doull struck Northern Districts’ first half-century of the match. His hardhit 54 (74 balls, eight 4’s, one 6) was like Viagra to ND’s impotentrun-rate, at last lifting it above two.But Carl Anderson broke the partnership when he bowled Doull with a ballthat kept low as he attempted a slog through mid-wicket. It was the highestND partnership of the match and the first of the innings to exceed 50.Number 11 Aldridge came to the wicket with ND still well short of Canterbury’s 344. But Matt Hart began to play some punishing shots and the tenthwicket partnership took ND within 15 runs of overhauling Canterbury’s firstinnings score.Canterbury captain Gary Stead turned to the experienced Chris Harris tobreak the stand. The Canterbury stalwart had not bowled well and hadn’tpicked up a wicket in conditions that should have suited his uniquelytrundly deliveries.But with his third ball Harris tempted Aldridge into playing an ill-advisedsweep shot. The ball struck the back of Aldridge’s horizontal bat andballooned gently to Warren Wisneski at slip. The big fast bowler wrapped hislarge mitts around the ball and a jubilant Canterbury side trotted off thefield having secured two hard-won Shell Trophy points.But the second batting collapse of the day was to come from Canterbury. Thesoutherners began badly with Stead out fending at a ball from Yovich. RobbieHart took a simple catch and Stead departed for just one. JarrodEnglefield’s miserable run then continued when he also fell to Yovich, LBWfor one.Robbie Frew became the third casualty and the second batsman to fall withthe score on 12. He would have felt a little aggrieved as Robbie Hart had noright to catch the leg-glance he played off Simon Doull. But Hart leapt tohis left to brilliantly snare the ball in his left glove and, at 12/3Canterbury was right in the unpleasant brown stuff.Night watchman Carl Anderson (8 not out) and Harris (4 not out) made itsafely through to stumps, but with only a slender first innings leadCanterbury will need to defend stoutly tomorrow to ensure a draw.
