Auckland were on the verge of one of their biggest and most spectacular Shell Trophy wins when they had Northern Districts reeling on the ropes after the third day of their match on the Eden Park Outer Oval today.

Auckland had to overcome stubborn resistance from Matthew Hart and Grant Bradburn in the middle of the ND first innings, but the rest of the Northern batting was solid as thistledown and by dismissing ND for 195 Auckland had gained an overpowering lead of 352.

Then, as almost an action replay of their demolition of the early ND batting last night when they shot out four for 24, Auckland swept aside three ND wickets for 20 runs in the last 13 overs of yet another action-packed day.

So Auckland take a 332 lead into the last day tomorrow, and ND have only seven second innings wickets in the bank.

ND will not be amused, too, that the Eden Park pitch that had some mischief on the first morning but behaved sensibly on the second and third days, is beginning to wear and every now and then the ball skids through wickedly low.

As the ND first innings went into meltdown once the Matthew Hart-Grant Bradburn stand of 119 in four and a half hours was broken, there was a move in the Auckland camp to forfeit the Auckland second innings, leaving ND something like 113 overs in which to score 353 for victory.

However, other counsels prevailed and once ND were out so far short of the Auckland score of 547 for eight declared, Auckland took the safer alternative of enforcing the follow-on.

It may be an academic discussion, for given more sunshine tomorrow the odds are very much on an Auckland win with an innings or a large number of wickets to spare.

By lunch ND seemed in rather the safer position on this third day. Matthew Hart and Bradburn batted very safely and sensibly from the start, taking no risks, but also not neglecting any loose balls that offered a boundary stroke.

They were also, it seemed, on the best of terms with one of the umpires, Kevin Manley, who twice was faced by strident appeals from Mark Haslam, the bowler and the rest of the Aucklanders for lbw decisions against Hart.

Both came when Hart padded up and did not offer a shot, and at least one of them looked as if the bowler deserved the verdict. But Hart survived both those narrow escapes, and it was Bradburn who was undone after lunch by the second new ball.

When Joseph Yovich went soon afterward the ND innings was on a downward slide, accentuated by some very accurate bowling from Andre Adams who bowled Robbie Hart and won an lbw decision from umpire Manley against Bruce Martin.

Adams ended with the impressive and deserved figures of four for 42 from 24 overs.

In the second innings the fragility of the ND batting was again evident. Hamish Marshall went lbw to Adams (Brent Bowden the umpire in this case) and Adams had Mark Bailey similarly out with his next ball. Daryl Tuffey was on short time as a nightwatchman, and James Marshall and Neal Parlane will carry the heavy ND load tomorrow morning.

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