Teamwork beats big names again

Auckland may have the big cricketing names, but Central Districts had the spirit - and three heroic new chums - to bring them their astounding Shell Cup eight-wicket win over Auckland at Eden Park this afternoon.

In their most inefficient and humbling effort of the season Auckland lost their 10 wickets in 25.5 overs for only 73 runs, only three runs short of their lowest score, against Northern Districts 13 years ago.

After what appears to be a mix-up which extended the lunch break to 82 minutes, CD lost an early wicket, had a fright when misty rain appeared, but then cruised to their win at 75 for two wickets in 14.4 overs.

Veteran Auckland cricket-watchers maintained at lunch they had never seen a weaker Auckland performance, but that did not give credit to the whole-hearted CD performance, headed by the deeds of Ewen Thompson and Andrew Schwass, the bowlers, and Bevan Griggs, the wicket-keeper.

Thompson was in his first Shell Cup game, Griggs in his second after not getting a catch or a run in his first against Canterbury earlier in the month, and Schwass was the comparative old hand, after four Cup games this summer.

Thompson was first in the limelight when he had Adam Parore, an experimental opener, caught by Griggs in his second over. Thompson struck again when Ben Smith took a dazzling gully catch to send back Lou Vincent, the other half of the Auckland opening gamble, and at 39 had Dion Nash caught by Griggs.

Thompson finished with figures of 7-0-31-3, and was overlapped by an even more spectacular haul by Schwass, who is brisk medium-pace and not really of spectacular method.

Schwass cut the heart out of the Auckland innings by dismissing Tama Canning (2), Kyle Mills (4) - both caught by Griggs - and Andre Adams (0) and eventually had Blair Pocock caught by Griggs after the Auckland skipper had hung about for 14 runs in 70 minutes from 41 balls while his team-mates disappeared from the other end.

Facing an easy winning target, but worried about the low clouds over Auckland, the CD players and management were most annoyed when they found the lunch adjournment, supposed to run from 2-2.40pm after the short Auckland innings, was to be extended an extra 40 minutes.

The first critical target was Sky Television, broadcasting the match live and with their planning schedule messed up by the sudden Auckland collapse. New Zealand Cricket supposedly had a hand in the delay.

In the event Martin Crowe, the Sky executive producer, said he had nothing to do with the delay, and would have preferred to carry on with the regulation lunch-break.

In the end it appears the match management apparently wanted more time to prepare lunch for the players and officials.

After a slowish start Craig Spearman put his foot on the accelerator, hit three sixes and three fours in 34 runs from 24 balls, and CD hustled along through some light mist before reaching clear weather and their incredible win.

It was just as well they wrapped up the match by 4.19pm. Fifteen minutes later some very substantial misty rain drifted over the ground. Had the match still been in progress there would have been every chance that CD, the bad-luck team of the competition with four washed-out games, might have suffered another heart-breaking.