Warwick Larkins
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20th Match: Otago v Northern Districts at Oamaru, 12 Jan 2001 Warwick Larkins |
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Otago innings:
Northern Districts innings: |
Still, Otago were only five wickets down and as they say while there's life there's hope and Craig Pryor has played many a rollicking innings in the past .
At the end of the 38th over Otago Volts 5/152 ( Pryor 25, Germon 12 )- 91 runs required from 11 overs.
Craig Pryor had to go for the doctor and he did but alas for the Southerners he was caught by James Marshall off Grant Bradburns bowling for 26.
Otago Volts 6/158 from 40 overs.
Alex Tait in over 41 bowled to Lee Germon and new batsman Simon Forde but only 3 runs resulted from it.
The very next over Germon trying to hit Bradburn into South Canterbury was taken by James Marshall with a very good runing and diving catch for 17.
Otago Volts 7/161
Paul Wiseman joined Forde but before any partnership could be establsihed, Forde was out bowled Tait for 5.
Otago Volts 8/165 in the 43rd over.
Joseph Yovich was bowling his first spell of the game and Wiseman went for a big hit but was dropped by Tait coming in from the point boundary.
9/174 at the end of the 44th over. 69 runs needed from 6 overs. The Otago supporters looked a little glum.
And even glumer when Wiseman was caught by Bailey bowled Tait for 8.
Otago Volts 9/178.
Warren McSkimming was determined to go down fighting and slogged Yovich for 10 in two balls while David Sewell gathered a couple of singles and over 46 finished with the Volts 9/193.
The Otago last pair brought up the 200 in over No 48 with some fast and furious hitting . McSkimming was now on 29 and also in the past few games should have been batting a lot higher in the Otago order.A six, a four and over 48 ended with Otago 9/216.
Darryl Tuffey bowled over 49 which saw unfortunately David Sewell with the strike for three bowls and the score at the end of it 9/224.
McSkimming got to his 50 off 25 balls off the first ball of the 50th and final over bowled by Joseph Yovich and then proceeded to get 3 successive two's to take the score to 9/230 with two balls to go. A further two and the off the final ball Otago needed nine to win.
A dot ball was bowled and Northern Districts had won by 9 runs.( McSkimming 59no; Sewell 4no )
The last 5 overs produced high excitement for the crowd with the Otago Volts just having a slight chance but upon reflection the Northern Knights deserved their win by being slightly more consistent with batting and bowling.
After 20 overs Otago were 3/73 ( Horne 17, Croy 11 )
Both batsmen were very watchful but in the main singles were all they could get off a tight Northern Knights attack of Alex Tait and Grant Bradburn until Horne hit a fine lofted on drive for four from Tait's bowling.
Centennial Park, Oamaru is a very attractive ground with a long row of poplars indsipersed with silver birches behind a raised grass embankment.
To the right of the embankment is St Kevins College,a Roman Catholic Secondary School with a fine sporting tradition and record not only in North Otago but throughout the country.
Daniel Vettori was now bowling in tandum with Bradburn and they made a useful pair of spinners for Northern Knights but even so Otago still kept getting singles and two's. The Volts 3/104 from 28 overs.
Croy trying to force the pace was caught by James Marshall off Vettori for 31 at short mid wicket. Otago Volts 4/106 from 29 overs.
Craig Pryor arrived at the pitch to partner Horne and their task was getting harder as each over passed. With 20 overs left ,6.7 runs per over were needed and that task seemed to be more than Otago were capable of in this game.
And, it became even harder when Horne was out trying to get on with it and hit the ball straight up in the air behind the keeper off Vettori to be caught by Simon Doull for 37. Otago 5/121
At the conclusion of the 34th over Otago Volts 5/122 ( Pryor 9 , Lee Germon 1 )
An early setback for Otago saw Hore bowled by Simon Doull for 1 on the first ball of his first over. Otago 1/1.
Darryl Tuffey was Doull's bowling partner and they both were offering Richardson and Craig Cumming plenty to think about in their early overs. Play was halted for 5 minutes when Cumming was hit by Tuffey on his protector and was obviously in considerable discomfort. A glorious shot on the back foot backward of point for four two balls later seem to deny anything had ever happened.
Cumming and Richardson were picking the balls to hit carefully and the Volts total was increasing gradually. Volts 1/29 ( Cumming 16 ,Richardson 10) after 7 overs.
In the 9th over Richardson trying to hit over the top of the field was safely caught by Neal Parlane off Tuffey for 11 at wide mid off.
The Volts 2/34 from 9 overs.( Cumming 23 )
The 12th over of the Volts innings saw a flurry of scoring from Matthew Horne the new batsmen and the score went to 2/45. (Cumming 27, Horne 5)
Grant Bradburn entered the Knights attack and Umpire Dave Quested once again showed his penchant for giving LBW's on the front foot when he raised his finger to adjudge Cumming out for 30.
The Volts 3/50 from 14 overs.
Bradburn and Alex Tait were bowling well for the Knights and with the drinks break not far away they were on top of the Volts.
Another eight runs and Otago 3/58 from 17 overs and drinks.
The Knights 6/166 at the conclusion of the 39th over with Wiseman having completed a fine spell of restrictive bowling- 10-2-28-1.
Finally, David Sewell the North Otagoan was called into the Volts attack for the 40th over and conceeded just 5 runs from his first over.
Matthew Horne was plugging away at the Town end of the ground and he too was not exactly being hit around.(14 runs off 4 overs )
Northern Knights 6/183 after 44 overs.
The Knights run rate accelerated significantly in the 45th and 46th over of Sewell and Horne respectively and the total rocketed to 6/208 with 4 overs left. ( Grant Bradburn 43, Robbie Hart 15 )
Grant Bradburn was approaching his fifty with just two overs to go and at 6/220 the Knights would need to get another 20 from them.
Warren McSkimming and Craig Pryor were doing the goods for Otago and in the 49th over Bradburn achieved his fifty ( 62 balls,4 fours) from McSkimmings last ball. The Knights 6/228.
The 50th and final over bowled by Pryor saw The Knights take their total to 242 and a successful conclusion for them. (Bradburn 60no, Robbie Hart 29 no )
For The Volts- Warren McSkimming 7-2-34-1; Simon Forde 7-1-37-1; Craig Pryor 7-0-40-0; Craig Cumming 10-1-40-2; Paul Wiseman 10-2-28-1 Matthew Horne 6-0-36-0; David Sewell 3-0-14-0;
The Knights total of 242 will provide a challenge for the Volts but one which they are capable of getting depending on the success of their New Zealand batting stars Matthew Horne and Mark Richardson.
The hundred did arrive in the 22nd over when Bailey hit Craig Cumming for a powerful two through mid-off . Paul Wiseman the New Zealand Off-spinner was Cumming's partner and was managing to contain the batsmen reasonably successfully for one day cricket.
After 23 overs Northern Knights 2/109 (Bailey 57, James Marshall 38 )
Craig Cumming who has impressed with his straight bowling delivered for the Volts in the 26th over when he got one passed the defence of James Marshall and had him adjudged lbw by Umpire Steve Dunne for 40.
Twin brother Hamish now joined Bailey who was on 65 but awful luck for poor Mark Bailey when Hamish Marshall hit a ball back off Cumming which sprang off the bowlers hand and non striker Bailey out of his ground and given out. State Insurance Northern Knights 4/130..
As if in disgust Hamish Marshall got an edge the next ball and Matthew Horne took a good catch in the gully. Knights 5/136 and the door is open. The Otago fielding had taken on a degree of sprightleness and it was to this situation that Neal Parlane and Grant Bradburn were to attempt to build another Knights partnership. But,it nearly didn't get underway when the batsmen attempting a quick single had the bowlers end wicket broken by a bullet of a return from Warren McSkimming and Parlane appeared to be short of his ground. Umpire Quested gave the batsman the benefit of the doubt and said Not Out.
32 overs completed and the Knights 5/149 ( Bradburn 11, Parlane 7 )
Craig Cumming had completed his ten overs for 40 runs with two wickets captured and was replaced by Matthew Horne. Wiseman from the St Kevins College end of Centennial Park was bowling very economically and now in his ninth over only having conceeded 25 runs .
Knights 5/158 from 37 overs
Warren McSkimming and Simon Forde were the Volts opening bowlers and immediate success when in McSkimming's first over he had Daniel Vettori in his comeback from injury game caught Martyn Croy for a DUCK.
The Knights 1/3 after one over.
The first ball of the second over saw Simon Doull get a slight nick off Simon Forde and again Croy took the catch. Another DUCK.
The Knights 2/3
The coaches of our two opponents are both former first class cricketers-Denis Aberhart of the Volts played for both Central Districts and Canterbury and Chris Kuggeleijn of the Knights who played for Northern Districts and New Zealand.
The umpires , Steve Dunne ( New Zealands most experienced umpire of all time at One Day,First Class and Test level ) also played first class cricket for Otago while his colleague Dave Quested has umpired Test matches.
After five overs the Knights total had reached 2/16 ( James Marshall 5, Mark Bailey 8 )
Up to this point the ball had most certainly ruled the bat but in Over number seven Marshall and Bailey decided to change this scenario and took 4 boundaries in the space of ten balls .
After nine overs the Knights total was 2/42 (Bailey 24, Marshall 11 )
As if to say you dismissed our openers both for zero and now your going to pay, Marshall and Bailey were proceeding very nicely and after 16 overs the Knights total had advanced to 2/78 ( Marshall 20, Bailey 47 )
After one hour,ten minutes play drinks were take with the Knights total at 2/84 after 17 overs.
The Northern Knights have been significantly strengthened by the return of New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori who has spent several months recuperating from a back injury. The Knights who defeated the Volts by four wickets at Mount Maunganui earlier in January has a two point lead in the Shell Cup competition and is emerging as the team to beat. However such is that nature of limited overs cricket that any side is capable of beating any other.
Northern Districts which contains seven past or present New Zealand representatives is as follows-
Robbie Hart (Captain), Grant Bradburn, Neal Parlane, Joseph Yovich, James Marshall, Mark Bailey, Simon Doull, Daniel Vettori, Alex Tait, Daryll Tuffey, Hamish Marshall, Graeme Aldridge ( 12th man )
Otago who are considerably weakened by the injuries sustained by Chris Gaffaney, Kerry Walmsley, and Shayne O'Connor are represented by-
Lee Germon (Captain ), Martyn Croy, Craig Cumming, Simon Forde, Andrew Hore, Warren McSkimming, Craig Pryor, Mark Richardson, David Sewell, Paul Wiseman, Matthew Horne and Nathan McCullum ( 12th man )
State Insurance Northern Knights have won the toss and will bat.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 12 Jan2001 - 10:23