Pacemen Bacon, Barnes lead way with ball
OTAGO continued its fine form with the ball on the first day of its Plunket Shield match against Canterbury at the University Oval yesterday.
The home side again took 10 wickets and bowled Canterbury out for 225.
The Otago effort got off to the perfect start courtesy of rookie Matt Bacon.
Bacon, in only his second firstclass game for Otago, delivered a ripping first ball of the match which Canterbury opener Michael Davidson edged to keeper Derek de Boorder.
After six overs of pressure that produced just 15 runs, Bacon had his second when Canterbury No 3 Ken McClure sliced a ball to Anaru Kitchen at point.
Canterbury opener Chad Bowes and No 4 Jeff Case dug in determinedly and saw off nearly 20 overs of pace attack before their side’s next wicket fell.
It again went to a catcher behind square on the offside when Jimmy Neesham caught out Case off the bowling of Bacon’s fellow opening bowler, Warren Barnes.
Barnes struck again two balls later when new batsmen Cole McConchie played and missed to be sent on his way lbw.
Three overs later, firstchange paceman Michael Rae gave Neesham his second catch when he made a diving effort to send Cameron Fletcher on his way.
Bacon got back in the action soon after, trapping veteran Andy Ellis lbw for just two.
By then, 36 overs had gone and Canterbury was in serious trouble at 85 for six.
Its hopes of strengthening its position lay with opener Bowes who had held off the Otago pace attack.
Bowes’ gritty knock, in which he stayed at the crease for over four hours, came to an end when he holed out to Neil Broom to give Bacon his fourth wicket.
His 85 from 134 balls and 16over stand with Theo van Workom were the keys to Canterbury posting a respectable score.
No 7 van Workom helped the Canterbury tail wag even after Bowes had gone.
He and No 11 Fraser Sheat put on a 48run partnership that would have frustrated the Volts.
Van Workom eventually played all around a Barnes delivery and was bowled for 41 from 109 balls.
Barnes finished with figures of three for 48 from 12 overs, one wicket behind Bacon who left the field with figures of four for 55 from his 20 overs.
Bacon’s spearhead effort means he has collected nine wickets at an average of 10.89 runs in just three innings of Plunket Shield cricket for Otago.
Otago openers Brad Wilson and Hamish
Rutherford took to University Oval with up to 90 minutes of play to see out.
The home side was immediately under pressure when a short delivery from bowler Andrew Hazeldine had Wilson caught behind in the third over.
Rutherford looked solid in his defence and he and Neil Broom blocked their way through to the middle of the fifth over.
Then the umpires came together and called off the rest of the day’s play due to bad light.
Secondplaced Wellington, one of just two teams which can still win the Plunket Shield, also bowled out Auckland in their match at Eden Park yesterday.
Auckland was all out for 304 at the end of the day and Wellington will start its first innings today.
Twenty wickets fell on the first day of the match between Northern Districts and competition leader Central Districts in Napier.
Led by paceman Seth Race’s sixwicket haul, CD bowled ND out for 134.
Central then had Northern out for just 99, thanks in part to a sevenwicket performance from bowler Scott Kuggeleijn.
The third over of Northern Districts’ second innings will start play today.