Lights go out on Auckland as ND at full power

It was a red letter day for Northern Districts cricket. On the field the team cruised to a 76-run victory over Auckland, claiming a bonus point that keeps them breathing down the necks of State Shield leaders Wellington.

Of greater long-term significance, this was the first day/night match to be staged under WestpacTrust Park's spectacular and effective new floodlights, a big step towards ND CEO John Turkington's goal of making the ground New Zealand's top cricket venue.

Besides the lights, Matthew Hart and Joseph Yovich shone most brightly for ND. With 78 and three for 41 Hart turned in another exceptional all-round performance. When ND were in the field Yovich was so omnipresent that there might have been Yovich twins out there, alongside the Marshalls.

ND chose to bat after winning the toss, reaching 266 in their 50 overs. Anything over 250 is a good score in one-day cricket, but on an excellent batting surface it was a total that should have been within Auckland's compass.

ND failed to build big partnerships as batsman after batsman got out when looking set. Seven of the top eight reached double figures, but there were only three scores of more than thirty. In addition to Hart, Simon Doull made 31 and James Marshall 38. Their opening partnership of 58 was the biggest stand of the innings, though Marshall would have gone early had Reece Young not spilled a caught-behind chance that was as easy as they come.

Michael Parlane - an ND stalwart missing from the side so far this season because of management dissatisfaction with his standard of all-round fitness - gave the batting some punch before falling for 26.

Auckland took the risk of going into the match with only five regular bowlers. This required the whole attack to be on song, but this was not the case for Auckland with Brooke Walker and Richard Morgan in particular bowling too many hitable deliveries that enabled ND to maintain the momentum of the innings despite the regular fall of wickets.

Only Tama Canning bowled with consistent accuracy and made effective use of the pace of the pitch. His figures of 10-1-40-4 were well deserved.

The loss of Chris Drum when he still had two-and-a-half overs to bowl put further strain on Auckland's resources. Drum collided with Robbie Hart as he followed through to attempt a run out, straining ankle ligaments.

Matt Horne was called upon to finish the over and was dispatched for two sixes and a four over mid-wicket by Matthew Hart. Even so, ND failed to capitalise on the opportunity for cheap runs at the end of the innings, barely holding on to last the 50 overs.

It was thanks to Matthew Hart that ND made as many as they did. Hart's 78 came off 85 balls and included six fours and three sixes. It was a well-paced innings which made the most of scoring opportunities and was the work of a player at the peak of his confidence.

The Auckland challenge was finished almost as soon as it began. By the eighth over they were 25/4, three of them falling to mistimed pulls as they struggled to judge the pace of the pitch.

Yovich was the bowler for three of these dismissals and, memorably, the fielder for the other. He sprinted around the third man boundary before diving full length to hold on to a catch that got rid of the dangerous and in-form Horne.

Yovich bowled a pacey opening spell, maintaining an off-stump line with which the batsmen never came to terms, finishing with 8-1-38-3. With the run out of Young, and another catch to dismiss Morgan, Yovich was irrepressible. It is time to talk of him as a serious contender for international selection later this summer.

All the ND bowlers performed well, never giving Auckland a sniff of a chance to get back in the match.

Left-hander Nick Horsley was the only Auckland batsman to impress, with a collected innings of 89 not out, his highest one-day score. He began with a flurry of boundaries, retreating into his shell as the responsibility of holding the innings together became his alone. The failure of his colleagues deprived him of a deserved century.

It was not a day on which the system of referral to the third umpire was at its best. Peter Wright, whose job it was today, caused confusion and amusement by illuminating the green light then the red to confirm the dismissal of Horne.

Two batsmen were given the benefit of the doubt even though strong circumstantial evidence suggested that they were out. In a run out referral, one frame showed Young short of the crease, the ball touching the stumps, but the bail in place. The next frame showed the bail in the air, but the batsman home.

Horsley may have been caught at mid off by a sprawling Yovich. The fielder claimed the catch and the batsman seemed prepared to take his word until umpire Doug Cowie made the referral. Some angles showed a clean catch, while the rest were inconclusive, so Horsley stayed.

The five-point win leaves ND three points short of Wellington at the top of the table. ND will be assured of at least second place as long as they avoid a bonus-point defeat against Canterbury in Timaru on Friday.

Above all, this was the day when the lights went on in Hamilton. They lived up to the pre-match publicity that claimed them to be the best in New Zealand, providing outstanding conditions for the players but no light pollution for the surrounding streets.

Today the home team gave a performance that was worthy of the occasion.