Auckland rain on Northern brothers' parade

With a complete lack of brotherly kindness the Auckland Aces rained on the Northern Knights' parade when the men from the big city stole a Max cricket win from under the Northern noses at Kaipara Flats this afternoon, winning with three wickets and nine balls to spare.

Everything pointed to a Northland and Northern Districts triumph. ND started the move to have Max games played at the smaller centres, and the small Northland centre of Kaipara Flats turned on a lovely ground and eager crowd rather bigger, it appears, than the village population of 400.

Then two Northland heroes, the brothers Michael and Neal Parlane did all the hard work as the Knights bolted to 118 in their first ten-over innings, and then less effectively to 90 in their second. Michael Parlane scored 56 and 34, Neal 22 and 45. They scored 74 together in the first innings, 78 in the second.

At the same time the Aucklanders seemed to have the bit parts in the local sporting drama.

Richard Morgan had the splendid bowling figures of four for 26 from four overs in the Northern first innings, and the Aucklanders gathered their first inning runs industriously, and not with the blazing big-hitting of the Parlanes - Kyle Mills' first over cost 34.

So when Auckland threw away their first three wickets while pursuing 97 for a win in their second innings, the match seemed in tune with the winning Northern Districts' script.

In 12 balls Aaron Barnes, Llorne Howell and Lou Vincent sent up lollipop catches which the gleeful Northerners gathered in easily. Auckland gained only nine runs in those two disastrous overs, and the ND men must have thought they had the game in the bag.

Then up stepped two brave hitters, Andre Adams and Tama Canning, virtually the last strong batsmen in the Auckland line.

They took 17 from the third over, 24 from Simon Doull in the next. At halfway they were 54 for three wickets.

As a last gamble Northern bowled Grant Bradburn and his off-spinners.

His one over cost 15, Northern did not have any more shots in their armoury and Adams (19 balls for his 50) and Canning (38 from 21 balls) cruised to the win, their unbeaten stand worth 90.