Canterbury and Auckland collect bonus point wins
In a dramatic last ball finish, Central Districts player Carl Cachopa hit a boundary to level the score with Northern Districts in a 50-over match at the National Provincial tournament in Lincoln.
Northern batsman Brook Hatwell stuck 88 and Daryl Mitchell 57 to help their side to a useful 261 for nine while Central fast bowler Steven Smidt collected three for 35. Central opener Dean Robinson got the reply off to a solid start with 82 and Greg Hay made 54. Hero Cachopa was left on 43 not out as the team finished on 261 for seven. Despite the tied match Nothern Districts remain unbeaten after three rounds and top the table with 11 points.
A Tim McIntosh century lifted Auckland to a four wicket win over Wellington collecting a bonus point for their effort. Batting first, Wellington were restricted to 217 for nine with all-rounder Mark Houghton’s 54 the top score. Auckland pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan took three for 26 while spinner Bhupinder Singh picked up three for 25. Auckland comfortably made 219 for six in 38.2 overs with McIntosh’s unbeaten 108 the highlight. Dusan Hakaraia chipped in with a powerful 61 off just 49 deliveries.
Canterbury’s middle order provided the bulk the runs as they scored 267 before bowling out Otago for 187 in 42.5 overs to collect their second consecutive bonus point win. Canterbury lost their first three wickets cheaply before Tom Latham (67), Henry Nicholls (77) and Todd Astle (47) went about building a useful total. Otago’s Jacob Duffy impressed with five for 54. The Otago response was foiled by Ryan McCone who took four for 24 including the wickets of the opening pair. Shaun Fitzgibbon was the best of the Otago batsman with 47.
Results, full scorecards and full match reports - http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/domestic/National-Provincial-A/118/schedule.aspx
Northern Districts v Central Districts - http://scoring.blackcaps.co.nz/livescoring/match1303/scorecard.aspx
Otago v Canterbury - http://scoring.blackcaps.co.nz/livescoring/match1302/scorecard.aspx
Wellington v Auckland - http://scoring.blackcaps.co.nz/livescoring/match1304/scorecard.aspx
Points
Northern Districts – 11
Canterbury – 10
Auckland – 9
Otago – 5
Wellington – 4
Central Districts - 2
