Lack of time snatched away an outright victory for North Otago over South Canterbury at the weekend when in a senior representative cricket match played at Knottingly Park, Waimate. South Canterbury requiring 237 in their second innings were 170 with only two wickets remaining.
North Otago, batting first on a pitch which was to take turn and provide seamers with plenty of encouragement, saw Bob Wilson and Michael Ross add 53 for the first wicket to give the side a solid start. But the next three wickets fell with the addition of 37 runs before Peter Cook came to the crease. Cook in 94 minutes added 35, this including five fours and a invaluable 36 from Bob Bowman at eight carried North Otago safely past the 200 mark. Captain Colin Smart came to light with 28 which included three fours and one six before the innings was closed at 229.
Phil D'Auvergne was once again the nemesis of the North Otago side taking four for 76 while the remaining wickets fell to Warren Eddington (3/61), Ian McFadgen (2/53) and Les Williams (1/9).
South Canterbury lost the first openers with the total at 19 and Trevor Robertson in a fine accurate spell of medium pace bowling claimed the wickets of the top three South Canterbury batsmen with only 52 runs on the board.
Smart snapped up the wicket of Bligh and then in the space of only four overs Neville Donaldson making his senior representative debut for North Otago shattered the South Canterbury middle order. With the second ball of his twelfth over he had Varcoe caught by fellow teacher at the local Intermediate school, Lindsay Robertson for 39, just when Varcoe looked like staging a South Canterbury recovery.
Two balls later the Donaldson Robertson combination struck again taking the wicket of Greer for eight and then in the very next over the combination did it again with Durning dismissed for four. But more was still to come and in his following over Donaldson claimed his fourth wicket when he had Williams caught behind by Bob Bowman without scoring and with the fall of William's wicket South Canterbury collapsed to be 120 for eight.
Eddington went tot the bowling of Smart six runs later and the South Canterbury innings closed when Donaldson completed a fine spell when he caught and bowled Ward and South Canterbury were all out for 135, 53 minutes into the second day.
The North Otago innings started dramatically when Bob Wilson was caught and bowled by Ian McFadgen with only 4 runs on the board by Lindsay Robertson and Michael Ross added 56 for the second wicket before Robertson was out for 20. Ross went on to top score with 40 before Colin Smart declared the innings closed at a quarter past three with one wicket still in hand setting South Canterbury the task of scoring 237 runs in 205 minutes.
Steady batting earlier in the innings was solid but slow and this put paid to South Canterbury's chances and against North otago attack which used only four bowlers. D'Auvergne was North Otago's stumbling block with determined 49. At the close of play at two minutes past seven South Canterbury were still 67 runs short of the target with two wickets still standing.
Trevor Robertson too two for 43 to give him a match analysis of five for 96 while North Otago's "Man of the Match" Neville Donaldson picked up a further two wickets to finish the match with seven for 85.
Short Scorecard(s)
Representative - Hawke Cup - Zone Series
North Otago vs South Canterbury at Knottinglay Park, Waimate
North Otago 229 ( R. Bowman 36, P. Cook 35, R.S. Wilson 31, M. Ross 29, C. Smart 28, L. Robertson 19, N.W. McKenzie 19, G. Johnson 14, D'Auvergne 4-76, McFadyen 3-53, Eddington 3-81 ) & 141-9dec ( M. Ross 40, L. Robertson 20, P. Cook 17, G.J. Ballantyne 15, C. Smart 13, D'Auvergne 5-37, Eddington 2-55 )
South Canterbury 134 ( B. Andrews 27, A. Bligh 20, M. Parker 12, N. Donaldson 5-47, T. Roberson 3-53, C. Smart 2-19 ) & 170-9 ( P. D'Auvergne 49, L. Williams 24, W. Eddington 18, A. Bligh 17, B. Andrews 12, J. Varcre 12no, N. Donaldson 2-38, T. Robertson 2-43, P. Cook 2-49 )
First innings win to North Otago
Full scorecard for the match