Otago’s fortunes slump further

Press, 30 December 1988, Page 34

Otago’s fortunes slump further

PA Tauranga The prospects of Northern Districts, for the second consecutive year, again becoming a major contender for Shell Cup cricket honours improved significantly with its six wicket win over Otago yesterday. In contrast for the defending champions — Otago lost the opening game of the series to Auckland — yesterday’s result leaves it with very little prospect of retaining the one-day title. Against a background of more than 36 hours of almost continual rain and further forecasts of gloomy weather yesterday it was a wonder there was any play possible at all. Play started less than an hour late and there was only one subsequent disruption, from shortly after 5 p.m. through to 6 p.m., before Northern exceeded Otago’s 148. It was an advantage to Northern when Chris Kuggeleijn won the toss and requested Otago to bat. But when the early evening stoppage occurred, the odds of the home side

reaching the calculated requirement of 109 off the first 30 overs seemed slim. The teenager, Chris Cairns, was promoted at the fall of Northern’s second wicket to join the Zimbabwean, Graeme Hick. From the first three balls he faced from Johnson after the break, Cairns hit three flowing off drives. The first and third were one-bounce fours, and the second carried the boundary line. Disappointingly for the Northern fans, the team just failed to reach the interim target of 109 from the first 30 Otago overs. With one run required from the 40th over to win, a wide was delivered by Peter Dobbs. Dobbs, much earlier in the day, had looked a very accomplished batsman, scoring 31 from 89 balls. Bruce Blair, Richard Hoskin and Derek Walker all made useful starts, but the Otago innings lacked an individual contribution of substance from the top and middle order.

OTAGO K. Bums c Cairns b Thompson 9 P. Dobbs b Beard 31 K. Rutherford c Young b Kuggeleijn 1 P. Hills c Young b Beard. 0 B. Blair c Bracewell b Beard 16 R. Hoskin c Thomson b Kuggeleijn 22 D. Walker c Young b Cairns 17 S. McCullum Hick b Cairns 22 N. Mallender c White b Cairns 14 J. Wilson not out 0 V. Johnson run out 2 Extras (91b, Inb, 4w). ... 14 Total (50 overs) 148 Fall: 32, 45, 46, 65. 66. 102, 110, 143, 145, 148. Bowling: B. Bracewell 6,1, 23, 0; C. Cairns 10, 1, 27, 3; G. Bradbum 6. 0. 15. 0; S. Thomson 8,2, 19, 1; D. Beard 10. 4, 21, 3; C. Kuggeleijn 10. 2, 34, 2. NORTHERN DISTRICTS L. Crocker c McCullum b Hillis 17 D. White c Blair b Rutherford 26 G. Hick lbw b Mallender . 25 C. Cairns b Johnson .... 15 B. Young not out 29 B. Cooper not out 25 Extras (81b, 4w) 12 Total (for 4 wkts off 40 overs) 149 Fall: 31, 60, 83. 97. Bowling: J. Wilson 7,3, 13, 0; N. Mallender 10, 1, 23, 1; P. Hills 9,1, 36, 1; K. Rutherford 5,0, 18, 1; V, Johnson 8,0, 51, 1; P. Dobbs 0.1, 0,1, 0. Umpires: J. Stoupe and G. Cowan.