Auckland take gold for appealing

Auckland may not have won the Shell Trophy but there were many times as they defeated Canterbury by 112 runs today when they looked certain to take a gold medal if there was ever a contest for appealing.

Only in mid-afternoon when Jarrod Englefield (125) and Gareth Hopkins (58 not out) were together in a 96-run stand for the fifth wicket did Canterbury have a fleeting chance of saving the game.

However, there was the thunderous crash of the last five wickets after tea (taken at 248 for five) and Canterbury were quickly out for 261 - giving Auckland the win with at least 19 overs to spare.

When they started play today at 58 for three Canterbury still needed 316 for victory, and even their coach Gary McDonald, in his last match, could not realistically hope for a win.

Still, Englefield gave them a strong hand over the next three hours and Hopkins gave the appearance he would stonewall for the next week (even though he loves to play his strokes) if it could save his side.

But in the end Auckland had made most of the play in the match with their two declarations, and always looked slightly better than a Canterbury side rather lacking in top-order batting strength.

The bowling of Chris Drum throughout the match, and the occasional effectiveness of Brooke Walker's leg spin gave Auckland sharpish weapons which Canterbury did not possess.

And when it came to appealing Drum and Walker made about as much noise - and occasionally about as much cricketing sense - as a German band. Drum rather plays the bass-baritone role very effectively, charging down the wicket toward the offending batsman, either leaping for joy or slumping in utter despair well below the Macbeth level depending on the umpire's decision.

Walker, being smaller and bowling more slowly, takes the tenor line, a very long yelp and when the decision goes against him a look of complete disbelief that the umpire did not agree with him.

Drum only obtained one lbw victim whatever the length and strength of his appeals, whereas Walker's shriller lbw demands brought him four of his five victims in the Canterbury second innings.

As it appeared at the time Walker's feat of dismissing Marcel McKenzie and Gary Stead with consecutive balls, both lbw, on Sunday evening effectively took most of the firepower and winning chance away from Canterbury.

There may be the case that the Auckland bowlers and fieldsmen put the heavier pressure on the two umpires Kevin Manley and Robert Anderson. Canterbury gained two lbws in the 10 Auckland wickets they took, whereas Auckland had seven lbws in their 20 Canterbury wickets.

Canterbury would have been pleased to reach lunch today at 166 for four wickets, but the progress slowed between lunch and tea when Englefield's 125 (293 minutes, 255 balls, 12 fours, three sixes) was finished.

At 248 for five at tea Canterbury still a a draw in sight. Twenty-five minutes later it was all over - five wickets tumbling like ninepins after tea, Walker taking the last three in 18 balls.