Cairns finishes Notts season on punishing note

Chris Cairns ended his Nottinghamshire season by leading his side to a seven-wicket win over Scotland in their National Cricket League match yesterday. But it was the manner of his finale that will have appealed to New Zealand cricket supporters as they contemplate Cairns returning to the national side for the tri-series in India against the home team and Australia.

Cairns scored 76 off 63 balls, including three sixes and eight fours, while also taking 2 for 14 from his five overs. Cairns is flying home to be at the birth of his second child in Christchurch.

In 14 NCL matches for Notts, Cairns achieved a strike rate of 113.33 while scoring 510 runs, with a highest score of 91 not out and five other half-centuries. His bowling was a little more of a concern as he managed only an economy rate of 5.19 for his 13 wickets at 38.76. During the first-class programme, he played in 13 matches and scored 645 runs, including one century, at an average of 30.71 while taking 15 wickets but at a cost of 50.33.

Already home, and reflecting on a record-breaking season in the Southern Electric Premier League, is Wellington batsman Neal Parlane. His BAT Sports side won the league, with Parlane scoring 110 runs in his last match to finish with 1074 runs - a league record. Parlane, formerly of Northern Districts, went into the last game needing to score 52 to beat former England batsman Robin Smith's league record of 1015 runs in a season. He achieved that off only 47 balls and went on to achieve his century. Parlane was economical in his batting approach during the season as he hit 31 sixes and 157 fours, or 814 of his 1074 runs.

Not surprisingly, BAT Sports have signed him up again for next year. And another team from the same league, Lymington and South Wilts is reported to be chasing his older brother Michael for next season.

Brendon Donkers, the Canterbury bowler, had a notable finish to his season when taking 6 for 43 for his Leigh side against Lytham in the Liverpool region league. Amongst the opposition was Warren McSkimming, the Otago allrounder who scored 15 of his side's 74 runs. Donkers finished the season with 25 wickets at 25.40 and 306 runs at 38.25. McSkimming took 36 wickets at 20.69 while scoring 690 runs at 76.66, the fourth highest aggregate in the premier league.

In the first division of the same league, James Marshall hit 53 as his Formby side beat Orrell Red Triangle by 53 runs to finish on top of the league's first division aggregate with 1210 runs at 57.61. In the same league, Aaron Barnes, playing for Colwyn Bay, hit 998 runs at 58.70 while taking 35 wickets at 23.14.

Playing in the Lancashire league, for Rishton, Rob Nicol scored 99 not out in his most recent game, a six-wicket win over Colne. He ended the season with 907 runs at 37.8 while taking 40 wickets at 33.2.