1. Wellington scored 475/4 to beat Canterbury at Christchurch in February 1995 (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/60/60143.html)

2. Canterbury scored 473/6 to beat Auckland at Christchurch in December 1930 (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/13/13743.html)

and

3. Northern Districts scored 453/8 to beat Wellington at Wellington in January 1996 (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/61/61704.html)

Northern Districts Knights got 400/9 to beat Central Districts Stags by one wicket. It was an amazing finish to an incredible match.

The game graph shows that James Marshall won the toss, put CD in, and then watched as they buried ND under a 215 run 1st wicket partnership between Mathew Sinclair and Jamie How, the highest all time opening partnership for CD v ND, breaking the old record of 180 set by Tony Blain and Campbell Smith in January 1987 at Nelson (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/48/48154.html). When How was dismissed for 121, it was his third consecutive century, and a definite message to the national selectors about who should take Mark Richardson's place as New Zealand opener. With that platform, CD cruised to 479.

ND were only able to make 273 in reply. Rather than enforce the follow-on, CD batted again, but this time Daryl Tuffey made a strong statement by bowling Sinclair with the first ball of the innings. How participated in the first four partnerships, but was out for 72, with the score at 124/4. He came within 28 runs of equaling a feat only two batsmen in the history of first-class cricket had ever achieved, four centuries in two consecutive matches. For now the record of Tom Hayward in the County Championship for Surrey in June 1906 v Nottinghamshire (http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/6/6994.html) & Leicestershire (http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/7/7002.html); and David Hookes in the Sheffield Shield for South Australia in February 1977 v Queensland (http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/36/36841.html) & New South Wales (http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/36/36854.html) remains safe. How joined Bert Sutcliffe (who did it twice), John Reid, Martin Crowe, Andrew Jones, Mark Greatbatch, and Jason Wells as the only New Zealanders to score three consecutive centuries in 1st class cricket. CD closed the innings with a sub-par 193. Tuffey lead the ND fightback with 4-38 off 20.5 overs and a match haul 7-163 off 47.5 overs, also sending a message to the national selectors about his fitness and effectiveness.

But the 193 set ND a target of 400, an unlikely ask. And when they were reduced to 58/3 by the end of the third day, it seemed an impossible one. At 85/5 Matthew Hart and Hamish Marshall came together and turned the game on its head, putting on 216 in a little less than three and a half hours. It was a record Northern Districts 6th wicket partnership, breaking the old record of 191 between Scott Styris and Robbie Hart set against Otago at Hamilton in March 2002 (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/74/74351.html). It was also the 5th highest 6th wicket partnership in the history of New Zealand first-class cricket. More importantly, it put the game back in play, but when both Hart and Marshall fell, and then BJ Watling and Tuffey fell to consecutive balls, Joseph Yovich was left with only Ian Butler to keep him company, and over an hour and a half of play left in the match.

It was here, in the 48 run, hour and four minute unbroken 10th wicket partnership, of which Butler contributed 14, that ND stole the match in the gloom and rain.

A closer look at the ND run chase illustrates how amazing it was. This type of graph, because it shows the game in time, rather than by wickets, helps us appreciate just the difficulty of the task that Hart-Marshall and Yovich-Butler faced. It also illustrates the ebb and flow of a magnificent run chase. In this case, the momentum of the match swung three times on the last day. CD must still be wondering how they could have lost this match from a position of 85/5. ND will be ruing the fact that the next round of the State Championship does not begin until mid-January. They must wish they could have played their next match straight away, to further capitalize on the momentum generated by this victory.

Sources for this article:
New Zealand Press Association via New Zealand Herald (Auckland) game stories
nzcricket.co.nz game stories
cricketarchive.com scorecards
2004 New Zealand Cricket Almanack
2004 Wisden Cricketer's Almanack

(Article: Copyright © 2004 Jack Solock)