Auckland knocked off top perch by dogged Otago

If Auckland cricket faces were blushing when they lost their Shell Trophy cricket match against Otago in three days on Friday, they were scarlet with embarrassment -- tinged with anger -- when Otago thrashed them in a low-scoring Shell Cup one-dayer at Eden Park No 2 today.

At one stage of the cup game Otago were 129 for nine wickets with 72 balls left in their innings. A dogged tenth-wicket stand of 50 by Martyn Croy (63 not out) and Warren McSkimming (19) gave the Otago score a touch of respectability.

McSkimming started the Otago bowling well with the first three wickets at modest cost, and then from 50 for three at drinks, the Auckland batting evaporated -- out for 101, Otago easy winners with 75 runs and 67 balls to spare.

So in the space of three days Auckland continued their pointless stay at the bottom of the trophy competition, and lost their place at the top of the Shell ladder.

While the pitch helped the seamers and the occasional odd bounce made it bowler-friendly, Auckland could not blame the conditions -- or another three lbw dismissals -- for their limp result today.

Auckland dominated the first two thirds of the Otago innings, the bowlers on a keen and mean attacking line, the catching good. Apart from Craig Cumming (31) the early Otago batting was erratic and even when Croy took root it seemed only a matter of time for Auckland to finish Otago about 130, and then have a comfortable stroll to victory against dispirited opponents.

But as Croy and McSkimming dug in Auckland rather lost the plot. Rather than put the batsmen under pressure they set the field back, content that sooner rather than later there would be the mistake which finished off the Otago innings.

The Aucklanders misjudged the determination and skill of Croy especially, and McSkimming. Croy went at snail's pace -- 26 singles in succession from 27 overs at one stage -- but was not bothered by his slowness or the tepid Auckland attack.

Only over the last four or five overs did Croy go for his shots, McSkimming cracked the ball hard, too, and they picked up 30 runs in four overs, when 20 had come in the previous seven-and-a-half.

Still 176 was not close to the 200 -run target which Lee Germon, the Otago captain, reckoned was a bargaining point.

McSkimming made it looked better when he dismissed Aaron Barnes and Lou Vincent with successive balls, and then Blair Pocock at 33.

After 17 overs Auckland were approaching cruise mode at 51 for three. An hour later they were in ruins.

Nathan McCullum, the 20-year-old cup newcomer, took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Tim McIntosh, Dion Nash another dangerman went at 55 and McCullum shot out Tama Canning at 62.

McCullum, bowling off-spin at about the pace that old people remember from Vic Pollard, finished with the sensational figures of 10-6-9-2, and gave a very passable imitation of Jonty Rhodes on speed with his zip and dash in the field.

As the ultimate embarrassment, Germon called on Matt Horne to deliver the three-victim coupe de grace, leaving the small crowd and the clutch of Auckland officials speaking about re-arranging their Christmas wish-list to include a cricket victory somewhere against someone, and the sooner the better.

Denis Aberhart, the Canterbury-based Otago coach did his best to disguise his delight at taking two wins at Eden Park.

It was, he said, again a matter of the Otago players sticking to their task, even when things looked grim -- and being able to grab their chances when offered.