Up-and-down Auckland seize astonishing victory

Auckland maintained their topsy-turvy course through the Shell Trophy competition when they raced away to a bizarre four-wicket victory over Central Districts on the Eden Park Outer Oval today - succeeding with the unlikely task of scoring 366 to win on the last day.

After losing the first day to rain, Central Districts so dominated the second and third days, scoring 589 runs for the loss of seven wickets, declaring both innings closed, and apparently shutting Auckland out of any chance of victory.

In between the two mountains of CD runs, Auckland managed a humble 224 for eight wickets, declared.

It was this declaration, obviously made with the agreement of Craig Spearman, the Central captain, that eventually left Auckland so much time today to score so many runs.

For most of the day Auckland batted with a certain amount of resolution on a pitch that had flattened out nicely, but seldom showed any conviction they could win.

In fact Auckland charted the kind of course that might be devised by a homeward bound sailor with several over the eight on board.

Auckland started with its usual ritual suicide, losing John Aiken for nought in the first over.

Tim McIntosh and Richard King soberly repaired that early damage, and in the second hour of play actually carried the attack, with some success, to the Central bowlers who had for so long been the kings of the castle.

Then, even when their total with 119 for one, Auckland took another step backward when McIntosh was out to the last ball before lunch.

King by then was 66 not out, and so full of strokes he suggested he might lead a long, solid charge for victory.

But Auckland do not take the easy, or obvious path. Blair Pocock scored runs, while King fell into a hole. Dion Nash tried to improve things while King tried to untangle his technique. But he was only 98 not out - 32 runs in the session - when Auckland rather limped to tea at 198 for three wickets.

Auckland had scored only 79 runs between lunch and tea, 168 were still needed from the remaining 31 overs.

So Auckland tried to make life really difficult. King was out immediate after tea, 265 minutes over his 98 - and regret at his missing a century was mixed with the feeling he might have been the sheet anchor that slowed the Auckland chase.

King went at 200, Nash got weaving with a brisk 40, but he left at 228 for five. The match was really in the balance, tilted slightly toward Central Districts, for even if their bowlers had lost their first innings precision the new-ball might change the course of the last hour or so.

By the time of the new ball, and immediately afterward, it was Central Districts cranking out the lifeboats. Andre Adams is a noted hitter of the ball. Kyle Mills is in such a rich vein of runs he looks as good as any all-rounder in the land.

Auckland needed 113 runs from 20 overs, five wickets in hand, when the new ball arrived. It left, frequently and quickly, destined for and sometimes over the boundary.

Adams was the master of the side-on shots, whisking away fours to midwicket like magic. Mills drove with imperious power, and rare accuracy for a man who seldom has batted in the top half of the innings.

By the time they had scored 123 together in 101 minutes the Auckland winning rate had dropped from about seven to two runs an over - Adams hit himself out and left it to Mills to complete the win with a signature straight four that went away like a tracer bullet.

Adams' 62 came from 47 balls, nine fours and two sixes. Mills' 90 not out took 78 balls, 14 fours and two sixes.

So ended a match which showed much of the charm and some of the bizarre trends of this maddening game. And the fitting, last and appropriately off-beat after-the-win comment came from Tony Sail, coach of this curious crew.

Sail deliberated for a few seconds, and then said that "when the top order contributes some scores we are a good side."

After winning a match after being outplayed for two of the three days "good" does not seem quite the appropriate adjective for this Jekyll and Hyde collection.