First step of Canterbury revival path completed with ease

Canterbury's seven wicket winning margin was just what the doctor prescribed in their Shell Cup match against Central Districts at Timaru today.

Canterbury "took their medicine" in coach Garry MacDonald's words when they recovered to draw their Trophy match against the same opposition yesterday.

The revival continued at the sunny Aorangi Oval ground as Canterbury got a new lease of life in the Cup. They had won just once this season, but took the Australians performance in the last World Cup as an inspiration to live on in the fight for a semi-final place.

Captain Gary Stead was "very happy today. It started off with our bowling effort, when we bowled straight and put a lot of pressure on them. It has been our most complete fielding performance this year."

Brad Doody (96) and Stead (32) saw the home team home. They put on 109 for the third wicket in just 81 minutes and 129 balls.

Doody hit 13 fours plus a six over deep midwicket off Gareth West, CD's only successful bowler. He took 2-60 from 10 overs. Doody, a beefy left hander, now has 264 one-day runs at an average of 66, to be Canterbury's leading run scorer in the Cup this season. Stead's score was his highest in one-dayers this season.

His partner in the match winning stand said, "it was great to see Brad Doody batting well on what was a very slow wicket."

Central's day was marred by a bad injury to paceman Michael Mason, who dislocated his ankle attempting a caught and bowled off just the fourteenth ball of Canterbury's innings. The remaining Stags bowlers had little to bowl at, as their batsmen had struggled on the difficult green wicket Gary Stead had put them in on.

Jacob Oram top scored with just 33, and then highest partnership was only 50, raised for the fifth wicket with Glen Sulzberger (30).

Ryan Burson, fresh back from a long term knee injury, began with three wickets in 17 balls.

Chris Harris, also recovering from injury, had two victims in his first eight deliveries. His calf strain was causing him to limp slightly after the match, but he hopes to play on Sunday's key encounter.

The same Canterbury twelve will be at Whangarei on Sunday, for another must-win game, this time against competition leaders Northern Districts. Central travel to Napier to meet Auckland.

"We've just got to keep winning through the one dayers here. Hopefully now we've got a win again, we'll start to be able to get on another roll, said Stead."

"Obviously we've got to win everything. We'll go up to ND, they'll be very, very hard to beat up there, but we're looking forward to the game and we believe we can win it."