Unbeatables vs. Non-Beaters
Martin Crowe
Times News Network
It was a dark cloudy day and an absolute pudding of a wicket,manager TBY worst fears came true...Ponting called correctly and sent ND in..there seemed to be no hope.
J Marshall decided the best defense was attack and set out making a brisk start to the innings adding 58 for the 1st wicket with a cautious Parlane before Saker struck.The man with an unreadable name,Kremerskothen holding on and Marshall went for a run-a-ball 37(:undecided
.Out came Styris,acutely out of form and as low as a snake's belly in confidence.he took 17 balls to get off the mark and spooned a catch to Wright off the bowling of Marsh(
!)
2-83.Hamish Marshall strode out to the middle and unlike his broter,took to the Parlane style of batting cautiously taking the score to 134 before the in-form Parlane slipped in the grass and got Run-out for a patient 69.this was to be the last wicket to fall in the innings as bailey scored a fairly brisk 22 to take the score to 208-3 of the quota of 50 overs.Marshall finishing with 64.
Manager TBY was all smiles at half-time,oops world cup fever i guess (
) his team had weathered the storm and the game was theirs for the taking if they commited themselves.
Hills,like J marshall,deciding that he was gonna get out there and blast everything...until he ran into Yovich.Yovich castling him for 14 off 12 deliveries.Cox like Parlane was cautious and an out of form Ponting blossomed in his company,scoring off some scintillating drives and mighty pulls and hooks until his natural technical weakness,his lock in the front foot showed its ugly head again,Styris the beneficiery as Anita Hore collapsed to his charms and gave Ponting out leg before.score was on 2-55.7 balls later,Tuffey got a nick from the man with an unreadable name,Kremerskothen's bat and it carried to Bradburn at first slip,3-56.Robbie Hart called out his spinners and it paid huge dividends.DiVenuto decieved by one that went away from Matt Hart and heard his death rattle for 2,4-66 and ND were scentingg blood.but Bradburn and hart though they kept things tight had to wait till yovich came back to get the break...Yovich bowling a wicket maiden ,getting rid of the dangerous Cox LBW,Anita Hore being a real asset to the ND boys.5-103.on the same score but the next over,marsh bat-padding to bailey,6-103 and the fans were going wild.Tubb and Pinnington added 21 runs before Anita Hore struck again,Pinnington gone LBW and 7-124 the game was in the bag.but Tubb and wright werent gonna give up so easily as they took the score to 151,when wright went for a non-existant bye,Aldridge flickingng the bails off with a kick of the ball,more world cup fever,(
)and the final nail on the coffin was hit.next ball,aldridge bowled an absolute beauty that Denton could do nothing but nick it to Hart.ND on a hattrick.Saker needlessly shuffling way outside offstump and left the stumps almost invitingly to be uprooted by Aldridge,and the match was over.Northern Districts won by 57 runs and they completed a win hattrick and a hattrick of wickets.Hamish Marshall was deservedly Man of the Match for his sturdy knock.
Northern Districts are now sitting pretty at the top of the table and together with QLD are the only unbeaten teams in the competition.