Otago tighten hold on match over Auckland

Otago had their foot firmly on the Auckland neck by the halfway mark of their Shell Trophy match at Eden Park today, and the home side will struggle to survive the third day tomorrow.

After another day of tight-fisted cricket Otago completed their first innings at 274, a first innings lead of 117, and ripped out both Auckland openers for 14 runs as the home side were pinned down for 13 overs before stumps.

Otago will thus enter the third day tomorrow still 103 runs in credit, and must hope that the pitch retains its life -- and the Auckland sun continues to shine -- as they chase victory over the remainder of the match.

Otago's slow, solid innings was built round the valiant batsmanship of Chris Gaffaney, tragically out at 99 when pursuing his fifth first class century, and then the cool head of Paul Wiseman who scored 75 and put together an invaluable 56-run stand for the last wicket with James McMillan, batting like a veteran in only his second big match.

It was another day of deliberate, often unconfident cricket -- the pitch still could play tricks -- and after 234 runs on the first day today produced only 211 runs.

But the tense struggle and the character of the batting by Gaffaney, Wiseman and McMillan, cousin of the New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan, and the dogged work of the Auckland bowlers and field made for a day of absorbing cricket.

Gaffaney deserved the highest praise. By nature he is something of a batting cavalier, full of rich and sometimes rash strokes.

In his 227-minute innings Gaffaney occasionally allowed himself the luxury of the cover-drives and square cuts which are his favourite strokes. But mostly he dedicated himself to keeping out the balls which threatened his stumps, and working in partnership with his team-mates at the other end.

He did allow himself the luxury of hitting 14 boundaries, mostly with the superb cover-drives and square cuts which are his trademarks. But there were just as many bread-and-butter strokes, aimed to disarming the bowler-friendly pitch and at increasing the Aucklanders' frustration.

Gafaney was sixth out at 160, and Auckland at that stage could have hoped for more quick success among the Otago tail, and the conceding of only a small first innings deficit.

Wiseman, with his 30-year-old experience and ability to work the ball into gaps, was the perfect man for Otago at that tricky stage of the game. Auckland did not help themselves by dropping Karl O'Dowda when he was one and the total 187 for seven.

Wiseman and O'Dowda stuck together until the total was 218 for eight, and Otago were almost out of the woods.

There was more trouble when David Sewell managed a five-ball duck, but then along came McMillan to help Wiseman for the next 63 minutes as they dragged the initiative away from Auckland.

Auckland are not yet out of the game, but they must bat the next three sessions tomorrow and the first session on Saturday if they want a chance of gaining a victory, or denying Otago theirs.

At the moment, the odds are heavily in favour of Otago.