Auckland became odds on favourites to win the first State Championship competition after completing a thrilling 35-run triumph over Canterbury at the Village Green in Christchurch today.

Six points clear at the top of the table, Auckland meet Wellington, the only team that can beat them to the title, at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland in the last round starting on Sunday.

Auckland captain Brooke Walker was the hero, but the leg-spinner, who is 25 on Monday, revealed to CricInfo how he only came to bowl the over that won the match by accident.

Set 254 to win in at least 71 overs after Walker declared at 285/9, Canterbury had a chance until Walker took the brave decision to bring himself back on for the first over of the 15 to be bowled in the last hour.

Walker revealed, "I was actually going to bowl Bradley Nielsen but he split the webbing on his hand the over before and I didn't really have much choice to be honest."

Peter Fulton, aged 22 and in just his fifth first-class game, not only took four wickets this morning to help give Canterbury a target of the lowest score of the match, but then blocked, swung and drove his way to a career-best 82, leaving just 36 runs needed from the last 15 overs.

The 190cm tall nephew of former New Zealand administrator and Canterbury batsman Rod Fulton had been particularly severe on Walker's leg spin, hitting him for two fours and two on side sixes in one over.

However, Fulton's favoured smash over mid-wicket became his undoing.

Walker said, "I put another man out at cow corner and when he saw him he might have had a couple of thoughts in his mind whether to try and hit it over the ropes."

Fulton was caught by Llorne Howell at mid-wicket and Wade Cornelius was last out, caught and bowled by Walker four deliveries later.

Walker added, "I think they were disadvantaged with Wade being injured and we gained Andre Adams in the second innings after a day and a half off with his thumb injury. Andre was the key today."

Two wickets in successive deliveries from Adams in the 55th over, when 56 runs were still needed by Canterbury swung the match back towards Auckland. The second man out was Cleighten Cornelius‚ brother of Wade, who became the second batsman in the match, after Walker, to make a king pair.

Ryan Burson, Nielsen and Fulton had all taken wickets in successive deliveries before Adams became the fourth man in the game to be on a hat-trick.

Auckland's target looked like it was going to be over 300 when Tim McIntosh (123) rushed to his third century in four appearances against Canterbury early this morning.

But having lost five wickets for 39 runs, three to medium pacer Fulton in seven balls, Walker called his side in.

Canterbury lost regular wickets as the ball kept low at times as four lbws in the first four dismissals shows.

Then Gareth Hopkins and Fulton added 45 in nine overs, but when Paul Wiseman came man in with 136 required in 35 overs and three wickets to fall Auckland crowded the bat sensing an early victory.

Yet Wiseman played attractively to add 80 in 19 overs with Fulton before Adams (four for 55) and ultimately Walker (three for 40) saw Auckland home.

Looking ahead to the Championship decider Walker said, "if we can win on first innings in the first couple of days of the match we can relax and enjoy the rest of the game."

© CricInfo