Apple incident leaves ground dumbstruck

To the numberless incidents which form the tapestry of cricket history - the underarm incident and the aluminium bat incident spring to mind - there can now be added another and more unusual incident from the Shell Trophy match at the Basin Reserve today - the apple incident.

History will show that Wellington completed an first innings win over Northern Districts at 12.40pm on the third day of this final round Trophy match and therefore went to lunch as the new Shell Trophy champions.

So when the second session started with the largest purpose of the match already achieved - a champion found - the mischievious streak which runs through all cricketers found a new opportunity for expression.

Joseph Yovich, the Northern medium pacer, shaped to bowl the 108th over of the Wellington innings from the RA Vance Stand end of the Basin Reserve. He reached the top of his run, the batsman settled over his bat and the umpire leaned forward in fervent concentration.

But when Yovich swept past the wicket on his delivery stride he released, not the still shiny red ball - now 27 overs old - but a shiny red apple brought with him surreptitiously from the lunch room.

There are a few exquisite moments in sport when the extraordinary happens and time seems to hang suspended. This was one of those moments. The batsman gaped, even the wicket-keeper blanched and the umpire - the flamboyant Billy Bowden, momentarily struck speechless - seemed to stagger back and the shiny missile went on its way.

It was to have bounced and stopped - that was the plan, anyway. But it soared instead over the batsman at head height, then exploded in a cascade of yellow flesh as Matthew Walker flailed at it with his bat, as wicketkeeper Robbie Hart ducked for cover.

Some such moments live on, some survive only in the memory of the participants but this event will have historical endurance because it was recorded by scorer Ian Smith on the official scoresheet of the Wellington innings. In that way it will live for some time in the annals of cricket, whenever this match is officially revisited.

The scoresheet records: "Yovich started to bowl over 108 with an apple. After dead ball was called by umpire BJB (who was bemused), Aldridge bowled the over."