Northern top the table with four wicket win over Otago

After the drama and pantomime of the Northern Districts v Wellington game on Friday, Blake Park in Mount Maunganui witnessed an altogether more sedate affair today.

Northern Districts defeated Otago by four wickets with more than three overs to spare. Northern go above their opponents to the top of the Shell Cup table after six rounds. Barring disasters, they should finish in the top three to qualify for the knockout stage. The team that wins the league goes straight through to the best of three final.

A number of squalls passed close to the ground, but it was a tornado named Doull that swept through at the start of the Northern innings that was the decisive difference. He scored 45 of the 51 runs made while he was in. His innings included six fours, a five and a six.

Doull has entered into the spirit of pinch hitting with abandon and can target an edge with the precision of a guided missile.

Otago should have known that it was not their day when a perfectly good over from Kerry Walmsley - the fifth of the innings - went for 13, including two edged fours and four overthrows.

Doull enabled the remaining batsmen to have the space to build their innings, though not all of them took it. James Marshall looked fluent before holing out to a Forde long hop and it was left to Neal Parlane and Grant Bradburn to guide the home team to victory with a sixth wicket partnership of 69. Without this, things might have been very tight.

Parlane finished the game with a huge six over cover.

Off-spinner Simon Forde had the best figures for Otago (10-0-27-3).

Otago fell at least twenty short of setting Northern a decent target. They got off to a good enough start, with Hore and Gaffeney putting on 44 for the second wicket. Gaffeney top scored for Otago with 47

Wickets fell regularly thereafter, with later batsmen unable to produce acceleration in the closing stages. The last boundary of the innings was hit as early as the forty-third over. Craig Pryor scored 39 from 64 balls without ever looking in touch.

It was a good all round bowling performance from Northern, only Alex Tait being wayward early on. Slow left-armer Bruce Martin was outstanding, with figures of 10-0-28-3. Tuffey was almost as good, with 8-0-27-2.

Northern's fielding was a factor too. James Marshall was outstanding, both in the circle and in the deep. There was as much as 20 runs difference in the runs saved by the two sides in the field. Otago suffered from too many misfields and loose returns.

Transport problems prevented Otago's three Black Caps, Horne, Wiseman and O'Connor, from being here. They were much missed.

The Shell Trophy returns on Tuesday, with Northern travelling to Auckland, while Otago entertain Canterbury.