Take 28 wickets in one game caught between wicket-keeper and point and what have you got?

Some pretty serious deficiencies in batting techniques, application and concentration, that's what.

Some very good bowling also comes into the equation. But it is difficult to believe that Blenheim's Horton Park pitch was full of more demons than your average spooky movie.

Central Districts won't mind that, they won the State Championship game with Northern Districts by 78 runs in little over two and a half days.

They finished their own second innings with 157 after adding another 10 runs this morning.

That left ND a target of 179 runs to win with nearly two days to do it.

But the omens were not good. No-one had managed to dig in and dominate in this game where the top score by an individual batsman was 44 by CD No 10 Michael Mason in the second innings.

James Marshall was out in the first over of ND's chase for a duck. Matthew Hart and Mark Bailey put on 33 for the second wicket, but once Hart was out for 8, the best partnership ND could muster was 21 for the ninth wicket. They were all out for 100.

No-one was prepared to publicly blame the pitch. They did admit the quality of the bowling had been good, and there was a general feeling that the batsmen will have their revenge on drier more batsman friendly wickets after Christmas.

But what had to be of concern were the defiencies of approach of the batsmen. No-one really seemed prepared to dig in for the challenge, to tire out the bowlers, and then to punish them as they lost their control.

Whether that might have worked is difficult to know because if one batsman had dominated there is no saying how quickly he would have run out of partners.

Ben Smith, the CD captain, said the experience his side had in Auckland last week when they were on the receiving end of a similar type of loss as ND suffered in this game, had helped CD's approach.

"Our bowlers were exceptional with the ball, they kept the ball in good areas.

"There was a lot of assistance in sideways movement and we thought from the start of the game that the team that bowled the best would win," he said.

"Two wags of the tail also helped," he added.

From 128/7 in the first innings, CD's tail lifted them to 181, then in the second innings the side went from 91/8, to 157.

Smith said from his own point of view he was disappointed not to contribute to the win with the bat, but he had been given a great opportunity to lead the side and was delighted to have the chance.

The CD top order were all looking and feeling good at the crease and while their confidence was low, they didn't feel out of sorts, he said.

While David Kelly was on top of the Championship run scoring aggregate, it was likely Mason was second.

"You'll have to check that," he said.

But he was right.

"We have to have three or four batsmen score 600-700 runs because with bowlers like we have we can be there at the end. Our destiny is in our own hands," he said.

Robbie Hart admitted ND had been undone by "some very good bowling."

"They made the most of the conditions, and they used them really well. They bowled with a lot of skill and patience, especially Andrew Schwass and Mason.

"But in seven and a half sessions we lost 40 wickets in the game," he said.

Hart said ND did have the advantage, especially when Scott Styris and Hamish Marshall were batting during their match-high partnership of 60 in the first innings, but they had failed to use it.

The CD second innings last wicket partnership between Mason and Hamilton had also been crucial.

"They take their four seamers into games, they are all specialists, who are prepared to do the hard work."

And that was what this game was all about, doing the hard work, and CD's bowlers certainly did that.

© CricInfo