Fiery Penn and O'Brien flatten Auckland to strengthen Trophy tilt

Inspired by the fiery bowling of the experienced Andrew Penn and the 24-year newcomer Iain O'Brien - backed by the clever hands of Chris Nevin the wicket-keeper - Wellington gave Auckland an embarrassing thumping in their Shell Trophy match at Cornwall Park today.

After the Wellington second innings had withered away to a disappointing 137 this morning Auckland had ample time in which to score the 203 runs needed for an upset win.

With O'Brien getting his second five-wicket bag in his first season (twice just missing hat-tricks) and Penn chiming in with four wickets, Wellington simply smashed the Auckland second innings to pieces.

The first two wickets fell at 13, the next two at 20 and thereafter O'Brien and Penn simply chipped away at the fragile Auckland batting, Nevin snared five catches and Auckland were bundled out for only 75.

Wellington thus had the win by 127 runs, with a full day plus 26 overs unused.

The fact that only the Wellington first innings went over 200 and the next three innings dwindled progressively to 182, 137 and 75 might suggest the Cornwall Park pitch had been laced with sulphuric acid and the bowlers had an unfair amount of assistance.

The batsmen of both sides cannot offer that excuse. The pitch had modest pace and bounce, but it played few tricks, apart from the new ball skidding a little, helping to account for the 12 lbw decisions.

Wellington simply had the better-directed medium-fast bowling from O'Brien and Penn in both innings assisted by Matthew Walker in the first. The three of them shared 16 wickets.

What is more they maintained the tight attacking line that their coach Vaughn Johnson demanded before the start of play on the first day.

O'Brien especially was highly accurate, made the batsmen play most deliveries and worked the ball cleverly away from the right-handers, always with the prospect that hitting the seam might have the ball cutting back.

This was precisely the type of accurate seam-bowling with which Central Districts embarrassed Auckland last week, and which their erratic batsmen seem to find a mystery.

The fact that Selwyn Blackmore was the only Wellington batsman to score 50 or over (Auckland also had only one, Kyle Mills) was another indication that the batting techniques of both teams were not of the highest class.

However, Wellington may have had the best of the batting conditions on the first day, even if they laboured unduly hard for their 247 and took all the first day to gather in that modest total.

There was not an indication then that Wellington had gripped the game by the throat, but the wayward Auckland batting, especially among the top five who should be regarded as the main run-getters, tilted the balance irretrievably to Wellington.

Auckland had three "noughts" in the top four batsmen in their first innings, and two "ducks" and a two in the top five of their second innings. Richard King and Tim McIntosh contributed three of those noughts and King also managed a two.

Perhaps the only art Wellington neglected was to finish off the hat-tricks for their bowlers. Penn was sitting on a hat-trick in the first innings, but there was no special field set for the third ball, and it passed harmlessly by.

Today O'Brien had two chances of a hat-trick when he removed King and Dion Nash with consecutive balls and repeated the feat with Reece Young and Andre Adams later on.

O'Brien did not threaten the stumps with his first hat-trick attempt. With his second he did get Chris Drum playing at the ball, which scuffed something and went through to Nevin, with the Wellingtonians raising a sporadic and tentative appeal, which did not convince anyone Drum had actually hit a catch.

Otherwise Wellington won everything, especially the toss, and Auckland won nothing - and Wellington must now be the warmest of favourites to win the Trophy when they play Northern Districts at Hamilton later this week.