Central Otago toughness turns game around

Vic Cavanagh used to rely on his Central Otago farmers for his rugby ruggedness back in the 40's, and yesterday a staunch man from Oturehua showed that the breed of strong Central cricketers is still something for Otago to cherish.

When the 21-year-old Ranfurly-born Warren McSkimming -- bearing one of the great family names of Central cricket nobility -- came to the Eden Park crease the Otago Shell Cup game against Auckland this afternoon Otago seemed heading for disaster.

Otago were 126 for nine wickets with 11 and a half overs to face against a rampant Auckland attack under their own sun and on their own patch.

McSkimming was the last companion for Martyn Croy, the more experienced wicketkeeper-batsman, but he seemed to be struggling to stay afloat.

"We had a chat," said McSkimming, " and decided we had a fair number of overs left, so we had better make a fight of it.

"We did not plan to charge at the bowling, just to get the runs steadily. We had 180 as our target, for we reckoned the pitch was a bit up-and-down with the bounce, and we might have a chance with 180 in the book."

They fell four short, Croy 63 not out after 149 minutes, and facing 110 balls -- 37 of them singles, including one stretch of 26 singles in succession, and 87 minutes between his second and third boundaries.

McSkimming scored 19 from 33 balls, with three fours, and was caught on the boundary trying to hit the last ball of the innings for six.

Then McSkimming, bowling fast medium down a useful breeze, shattered the top of the Auckland innings by dismissing Aaron Barnes and Lou Vincent with successive balls, and later had Blair Pocock lbw, making Auckland 33 for three.

The rest of the damage was done by Nathan McCullum, the new cup player, who ended with the sensational figures of 10-6-9-2 (15th among the one-day economy records) and fielded brilliantly.

But the day belong to McSkimming, educated at Waitaki Boys High School, who learned the farming trade and cricket in Central, is now a sometime storeman in Dunedin -- and the man who made himself a small but glowing piece of Eden Park history today.