30th Match: Otago v Central Districts at Invercargill, 25 Jan 2002 CricInfo Live Report

30th Match: Otago v Central Districts at Invercargill, 25 Jan 2002
Warwick Larkins

Central Districts innings: CD Innings, CD at lunch.,
Otago innings: To drinks, The end.,
Pre-game: Before play.,

CD FAR TOO GOOD FOR OTAGO.

At 72/5 after 25 overs the State Otago Volts were in deep trouble against State Central Stags but still the thought remained that if one of their batsmen got in the batting conditions were good enough to make a much better fist of the run chase.

Simon Beare and Nathan Morland had done a good job in taking the Otago score from 32 to 89 but at that total Morland was out caught Michael Mason at wide mid on bowled Ewen Thompson for 28 . Otago Volts 89/6 ( Simon Beare 36 no ; Anthony Wilkinson 0 no ; )

The Otago hundred was reached in the 31st over and Beare continued on in the next to take 12 off the bowling of Ewen Thompson and his personal score to 48.

Beare reached his maiden 50 for Otago from 77 balls in 113 minutes and it had been most meritorious. Coming in with his team in a parlous situation at 8/2 he was still there in his debut match with a half century to his credit.

At 135/7 Wilkinson trying to force the pace was bowled, with his leg stump knocked out of the ground by Thompson for 14. Beare 61no .

Beare and Wilkinson had put on 46 for the 7th wicket but as often happens in cricket Beare followed almost immediately bowled Thompson for 61 ( 92 balls in 135 minutes ) Otago Volts 141/8

Nathan McCullum came and went very quickly - LBW to Thompson for 0. Thompson had taken 3 wickets in the over and Otago were 143/9.

Kerry Walmsley and James McMillan the last Otago batsmen now faced a quite hopeless situation and in the 38th over were put out of their misery when Walmsley was cleaned out by Michael Mason( a stump was broken ) for 5. McMillan remained not out 1 and Otago Volts were all out for 143 thus giving the Central Stags a win by 99 runs. This was a deserved victory as they had batted and bowled better than their southern opposition as they had the previous season on the same ground.

CD DOMINATE AT QUEENS PARK.

State Otago Volts made an appalling start to their chase for 243 for victory when in the first over State Central Stags via their opening bowler Brent Hefford induced Andrew Hore to flick at a ball outside the off stump and was adjudged to have got an edge and was dismissed for 0 . Hore seemed to quite definite that he did not get a touch. Otago Volts 0/1 Worse was to come for Otago when 19 balls later Craig Cumming got an edge off Hefford's opening partner Michael Mason and as in Hore's dismissal wicket-keeper Bevan Griggs took the catch. Otago Volts 8/2

Runs were hard to come by but gradually a smattering of them were added to the Otago total. Robbie Lawson was dropped by David Kelly at square leg ( a dolly of a chance ) but 2 balls later Lawson was given out LBW away down the pitch by Umpire Gary Baxter(who incidentally comes across as a thoroughly decent individual- I sat with him at lunch but like most of the white coated ones in NZ in my opinion is far too liberal with the standard and number of LBW decisions made in the affirmative. Otago Volts 23/3 ( Simon Beare -another debutante 4 no ; Lee Germon 0 no ; )

Germon who has been in good touch with the bat recently went very quickly as he was cleaned bowled by Michael Mason for 0. Otago Volts 27/4 and 243 looking an impossible task.

The day had now developed into a most pleasant one with tons of blue sky and warm temperatures. The sun screen man wanderered around the ground dishing out liberal quantities of a gooey white substance from a squirting spray in his hand. Great days in the sun in one of the most southern cities on the planet.

Otago's plight continued as Martyn Croy seeking to on drive Andrew Schwass like Victor Trumper was cleaned bowled for 1 . Otago Volts 32/5.

The Central Stags bowling did not look all that venomous and the wicket still seemed to be playing well but 5 Otago Volts were back in the pavilion in the main through lack of concentration.

Inncidentally Simon Beare and Anthony Wilkinson the two Otago debutante's both play for the North East Valley club in Dunedin -the club of Bert Sutcliffe, Stephen Boock , Lance Cairns and Robbie Lawson of this current Otago team and Andrew Schwass of Central Districts.

The Otago total rocketed to 50/5( 21 overs) with a big six hit from Campbell Furlong the Stags off spinner by Nathan Morland the Otago off spinner.

25 overs gone and 72/5 ( Beare 32no ; Morland 16 no ; )

SATISFACTORY TOTAL TO CD STAGS.

The State Central Stags were proceeding along their innings in excellent fashion. The Queens Park wicket was very much to a batsmans liking and Peter Ingram was taking full advantage of it as he moved into the seventies. Richard King too, relishing a visit to his hometown had moved into the thirties. Central Stags 122/1 ( Ingram 74 no ; King 34no ; )

A mix up occurred in the 33rd over when King came for a second run to find Ingram was not interested - both batsmen ended up at the same end and it was Kings who had left his crease and so was run out. Central Stags 147/2 ( Ingram 80 no ; Andrew Schwass 9 no ; )-35 overs gone.

Andrew Schwass was the next to go when attempting to force the pace was bowled by Craig Cumming for 13. The Stags - 3/152.

Otago with two right arm off spinners in the two Nathan's - McCullum and Morland might be considered over served in the spin department but both were capable of bowling tightly . The Volts would be hoping they bowl as tightly as Anthony Wilkinson who in his first game at this level had finished with the good figures of 10-1-38-0.

Mark Sinclair the former NZ player was the second Stags player to be run out when he failed to watch Ingram and was well out when a good return from Kerry Walmsley put paid to him. The Stags 173/4 in the 40th over.

Ingram fully deserved his hundred but had perhaps been a little conscious of it in the later stages of his innings but however he reached it in 133 balls.

Ben Smith was well caught by Andrew Hore at long -on for 28 from the bowling of James McMillan and the Stags were 212/5 in the 46th over.

Ingram didn't add to the hundred and was caught by McCullum off Walmsley at long off. The Stags 214/6 in the 48th over.

The final stages of the Stags innings saw Campbell Furlong and Bevan Griggs put on a very handy 28 runs off 17 balls with Furlong finishing 19 no and Griggs 8 no. State Central Stags 242/6. Not a huge total on a modest sized ground but one that Otago would have to work to get.

Bowling for Otago Kerry Walmsley with 1/37 from his 10 and James McMillan with 2/44 from his 10 were steady with the aforementioned Wilkinson impressive. Of the others Nathan McCullum 0/44 from 7 was perhaps a little expensive and Craig Cumming 1/36 from five had probably his worst caning of the summer. Nathan Morland 0/39 from eight like his off spinning partner also received more tap than he would have fancied.`

Otago resume in 40 minutes needing 243 for victory.

CD MAKE EXCELLENT SSTART.

Kerry Walmsley opened the bowling for the State Otago Volts together with James McMillan to the State Central Stags opening pair of David Kelly and Peter Ingram.. The Queens Park pitch here in Invercargill looks brown and full of runs with very little of the rain that has afflicted most of the rest of the country this summer having found its way to Southland.

After 6 overs the Central Districts total has reached 24/0. ( Kelly 12 no ; Ingram 12 no ; )

An interesting feature of the two teams contesting this match is that their respective coaches ,Dipak Patel of Central Districts and Glenn Turner of Otago both of course played for New Zealand , both were professional cricketers for Worcestershire in England ,both are married to Indian women ,and Patel was batting with Turner when he scored his 100th hundred for Worcestershire against Warwickshire at the County Ground in Worcester. The 100th hundred was from memory 311no but I'am open to correction.

10 overs completed and and Central Districts 34/1 ( Ingram 20 no ; Richard King ,the former Southlander 1 no ; ) David Kelly trying to on drive Kerry Walmsley had been bowled neck and crop for 12.

The Central Districts fifty came up off 88 balls and they were well on the way with Ingram playing some fine drives either side of the wicket.

Nathan McCullum the Otago Off Spinner and elder brother of Brendan McCullum the New Zealand player had taken up the Otago attack and was accompanied by Anthony Wilkinson a debutante from the North East Valley Club in Dunedin. Wilkinson not unlike Craig Cumming bowls his medium paced seamers in a similar fashion and his first three overs at this level were pretty impressive only giving away 6 runs.

21 overs gone - Central Districts 72/1 ( Ingram 44 no ; King 14 no ; )

Peter Ingram reached his fifty off 70 balls in the 23rd over and it had been an entertaining one day knock.

The State Central Stags one hundred was rapidly approaching and was reached from 169 balls in 94 minutes. ( Ingram 65 no ; King 21 no ; )