Nicol and Canning steady Auckland
Rob Nicol and Tama Canning's efforts offset the major early losses Auckland suffered on the second day of the State Championship final at Eden Park, providing them a satisfactory score of 208 for 5
Cricinfo staff
04-Apr-2005
Auckland 208 for 5 (Nicol 75, Canning 55*) trail Wellington 235 (Parlane 74, Adams 5-39) by 27 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Rob Nicol and Tama Canning's efforts offset the major early losses Auckland suffered on the second day of the State Championship final at Eden Park, providing them a satisfactory score of 208 for 5, only 27 runs behind Wellington's total of 235. Nicol patiently accrued 74 in little more than four hours before he was trapped leg-before by Luke Woodcock. But Canning was unbeaten on a boundary-studded 55. Both partook in a 86-run stand after Auckland were reeling at 87 for 4.
Wellington's innings came to a close quickly in the morning. They added only 13 runs before Auckland bundled them out for 235. Neal Parlane, resuming on 70, fell after adding four runs and became Andre Adams's fifth victim (5 for 39).
Though Auckland are set to take the first-innings lead, Wellington will derive hope from the fact that three days yet remain and that, in this game, where wickets have tended to fall in clumps, a draw appears unlikely.