Papps and Stewart guide Canterbury to easy win

Canterbury 170 for 1 (Stewart 66*, Papps 66) beat Wellington 169 for 5 (Parlane 63) by nine wickets
Scorecard

Shannan Stewart and Michael Papps guided Canterbury to a thumping nine-wicket win against Wellington in their Twenty20 match at Christchurch. Both made 66 - although Stewart's was unbeaten - as Canterbury chased down the required 170 with a minimum of fuss.

Neal Parlane piloted Wellington with 63, sharing a second-wicket stand of 71 with Chris Nevin. Stu Mills took charge after Parlane was dismissed in the 17th over, as his unbeaten 37 lifted them to 169. Stewart and Papps made easy work of the target with an opening stand of 136. Captain Chris Harris and Stewart guided the team home with two overs to spare.

Otago 181 for 7 (Gaffaney 43, Hopkins 47) beat Auckland 167 for 8 (Jones 75) by 14 runs
Scorecard

Nathan McCullum's allround performance steered Otago to a 14-run win over Auckland in their Twenty20 match at Eden Park. McCullum's late-innings 20 lifted Otago to a competitive 181, but his contribution in the field was more crucial, picking up two wickets and affecting three run-outs.

Richard Jones, the Auckland captain, was the only batsman to carry on after getting a start, but the steady fall of wickets increased the pressure and consequently the asking rate. Two early run-outs, courtesy of McCullum, reduced Auckland to 42 for 4. Jones and Dave Houpapa led the recovery adding a quick 55 in just over five overs. However, the rate slackened after Houpapa was dismissed. Mayo Pasupathi made a breezy 28 off 14 balls but both him and Jones were dismissed in the final over to McCullum. Jones top-scored with 75 off 57 balls with eight fours and a six.

Earlier, Otago were boosted by contributions by Chris Gaffaney and and Gareth Hopkins, who made 43 and 47 respectively. Opener Gaffaney got the team off to a good start, and once he was dismissed, Hopkins and Greg Todd added 56 for the fourth wicket to lay the platform for a good score.