ND ahead in grim struggle in Hamilton

The second day proceeded as the first had done, at the leisurely pace of little more than two an over. Central Districts are 120/6, needing another 53 to avoid the follow-on.

Northern Districts captain/wicket-keeper Robbie Hart was the outstanding individual performer of the day. He took two excellent catches and made the most telling contribution with the bat, 51 that guided his team to a respectable first innings total of 322.

Joseph Yovich began the day on 75 not out. At once, he showed more freedom and aggression than at any stage yesterday. Two fours in Lance Hamilton's first over were as good as any in Yovich's innings.

He moved into the nineties with an angled four to third man, but was caught behind attempting a repeat off the next ball. Yovich scored 90 from 296 deliveries and hit 14 fours.

It was Hamilton's fifth wicket of the innings. He maintained an attacking line, swung the ball and was fast enough to test the batsmen with bounce.

After Yovich's dismissal the match entered one of its frequent quiet periods, with no boundaries for over an hour.

The introduction of Glen Sulzberger and Campbell Furlong in bowling partnership accelerated the scoring rate as Hart and Bruce Martin attempted to dominate the spinners for the first time in the match. They put on 66 for the eighth wicket, taking ND past the 300 needed to give the innings respectability.

Sulzberger wrapped up the last three wickets to finish with four for 62.

When David Kelly was out for two, caught in the gully off a rearing delivery from Yovich, the stage seemed set for Mathew Sinclair to dominate the afternoon.

From the start he batted like a man who has scored 365 in his last three innings. His first ball raced to the boundary. Examination of Sinclair's bat would have showed that the ball came off its exact centre. Another effortless four followed.

Simon Andrews, wicketless in two first-class appearances, had the daunting prospect of bowling to Sinclair. Three times in succession Andrews pulled up short of the crease because of problems with rhythm or nerves. So only the batsman was more surprised than the bowler when a ball homing in on off stump was allowed to pass.

There is no more valuable wicket than Sinclair's in domestic cricket at the moment. His dismissal for 15 was a setback from which CD never recovered and which gave Andrews an injection of self-belief that lasted for the rest of the day. He finished with one for 15 at a run an over, one of a set of ND bowling figures that could be framed and hung on the changing room wall.

It was all grim determination for CD from then on. Peter Ingram and Ben Smith put on 51 for the third wicket before Smith (19) went to the first of Hart's impressive pieces of glovework. The ND skipper took a sharp leg-side catch off the bowling of Grant Bradburn, though Smith was obviously of the opinion that he had not touched it.

Ingram reached a career-best 43 with the day's only six before being run out by a direct hit by Aldridge.

Sulzberger (six) went to another fine effort by Hart, caught in front of first slip as Yovich angled the ball across the left-hander. An uncharacteristically subdued Jacob Oram, in his first innings of the season, never looked comfortable and was sixth out, for 15.

The tone of the innings is summed up by the facts that Bradburn has bowled eight maidens in 12 overs and Martin six in 10.

With the ball turning from the members' end and keeping low from the city end, batting is likely to become a growing challenge. ND have had the better of what has largely been a war of attrition and should win the game from here.