Canterbury gain points but Northern may have last laugh

Canterbury narrowly won the first innings points, but Northern Districts is the only side with a realistic chance of achieving outright victory, after a schizophrenic day's cricket on day three.

In a dramatic first half-hour Stephen Cunis ripped the heart out of the ND middle order with a devastating display of swing bowling. In muggy, overcast conditions he picked up three wickets in a spell of six consecutive maiden overs.

He first removed night watchman Bruce Martin (0) and overnight batsman Neil Parlane (35). He then picked up the scalp of the unfortunate Grant Bradburn for a duck in his one-hundredth first class match for ND.

Joseph Yovich fell before lunch, LBW to the left arm spin of Carl Anderson, and Northern looked in dire trouble going to the break at 188/7.

But the defending champions are not a side that throws the towel in when things start getting ugly. A fighting undefeated 72 from Matt Hart provided the backbone to Northern's tail-end resistance. His partnerships of 31 with Yovich and 44 with brother Robbie gave the ND effort some respectability. Then back-to-back record stands against Canterbury of 69 (ninth wicket) with Simon Doull and 62 (tenth wicket) with Graeme Aldridge took Northern to within sight of first innings points.

Doull struck Northern Districts' first half-century of the match. His hard hit 54 (74 balls, eight 4's, one 6) was like Viagra to ND's impotent run-rate, at last lifting it above two.

But Carl Anderson broke the partnership when he bowled Doull with a ball that kept low as he attempted a slog through mid-wicket. It was the highest ND partnership of the match and the first of the innings to exceed 50.

Number 11 Aldridge came to the wicket with ND still well short of Canterbury's 344. But Matt Hart began to play some punishing shots and the tenth wicket partnership took ND within 15 runs of overhauling Canterbury's first innings score.

Canterbury captain Gary Stead turned to the experienced Chris Harris to break the stand. The Canterbury stalwart had not bowled well and hadn't picked up a wicket in conditions that should have suited his uniquely trundly deliveries.

But with his third ball Harris tempted Aldridge into playing an ill-advised sweep shot. The ball struck the back of Aldridge's horizontal bat and ballooned gently to Warren Wisneski at slip. The big fast bowler wrapped his large mitts around the ball and a jubilant Canterbury side trotted off the field having secured two hard-won Shell Trophy points.

But the second batting collapse of the day was to come from Canterbury. The southerners began badly with Stead out fending at a ball from Yovich. Robbie Hart took a simple catch and Stead departed for just one. Jarrod Englefield's miserable run then continued when he also fell to Yovich, LBW for one.

Robbie Frew became the third casualty and the second batsman to fall with the score on 12. He would have felt a little aggrieved as Robbie Hart had no right to catch the leg-glance he played off Simon Doull. But Hart leapt to his left to brilliantly snare the ball in his left glove and, at 12/3 Canterbury was right in the unpleasant brown stuff.

Night watchman Carl Anderson (8 not out) and Harris (4 not out) made it safely through to stumps, but with only a slender first innings lead Canterbury will need to defend stoutly tomorrow to ensure a draw.