The sixth round Auckland-Northern Districts State Championship match ended in a tame draw after the visitors had by tea on the last day batted themselves into a position that made it difficult for Auckland to win.

Rain had the last say, a heavy shower over the Eden Park Outer Oval as the players left the field for the interval halting proceedings. However, the teams returned after an 80-minute delay to give Hamish Marshall, 85 at the break, the chance to get his first first-class century. It was unsuccessful, Marshall adding just seven more before giving a catch to Reece Young behind the stumps from the off-spinner Rob Nicol.

With the fall of the wicket, Northern declared at 212/7, 176 runs ahead. With just 19 overs left available in the day's play, the match was declared a draw.

The ending was an anticlimax. After the two teams had cancelled themselves out with first innings totals that had substance (ND 383, Auckland 419) but had taken longer than either side would have wished, Auckland had Northern teetering at the close on the third day at 57/4 just 21 runs ahead.

However, after the successes of the previous evening, the Auckland bowlers on the final day could make no impression on the Northern batsmen, the only success of the fourth morning coming through a direct hit by Chris Drum to catch Grant Bradburn short of his ground when on 29 and looking happy to bat all day.

In an immaculate defensive display, the Northerners added 57 in the morning session and then upped the pace with no trauma until just before the afternoon drinks break when Drum brought an attacking shot from Robbie Hart that saw the ball catch an inside edge and crash into the stumps. Hart had contributed 23 to a 76-run partnership as he and Marshall went a long way towards taking Northern out of trouble.

By tea, Marshall and Joseph Yovich had taken the score to 205/6, 169 ahead with a minimum of 25 overs to be bowled in the day. For Marshall the highlight was passing his previous best of 83. He could take satisfaction from not only that achievement but also that his patient effort (first 50 coming from 199 balls) was a major contribution towards rescuing Northern from a precarious position.

His 92 went with the Mark Richardson (133) and Matt Horne (77) 191-run first wicket partnership for Auckland and Scott Styris' 73 in the Northern first innings as the highlights that reflected a match in which the bat dominated the ball. However, Yovich will remember it for the match in which he collected his 100th first-class wicket.

On a day in which batting revolved around a forward defensive shot and as much leaving as possible, Drum's afternoon wicket left him with two for 38 from 23 overs to go with his four for 85 in the first innings. Economy was the order of the day, Brooke Walker ending with one for 49 from 26, Nicol one for 25 from 14.3 and Richard Morgan, who improved his line in the second innings, one for 42 from 22.

With the two points from the first innings lead, Auckland share top position with Wellington.

© CricInfo