Canterbury savour outright win

A long wait ended for Canterbury when they beat Otago by 115 runs in a Plunket Shield cricket match in Rangiora today.

Otago scored a fighting 355 in their second innings but they were always behind the eight ball after being left a victory target of 471.

Three half-centuries were never going to be enough to get them over the line as Canterbury celebrated their first outright success since winning the 2007/08 final over Wellington.

Otago resumed on the fourth morning today on 65 without loss and continued to prosper as openers Leighton Morgan and Shaun Haig advanced the score to 124 before they were parted.

Morgan was the first to go for 65 when Todd Astle threw down the stumps from the covers and thereafter wickets fell at regular intervals as Otago stumbled to lunch at 190 for five.

Haig soon joined Morgan in the pavilion for 67 while Greg Todd and Brendon McCullum came and went cheaply.

Neil Broom made a start and reached 30 before being undone by a sharp catch by Michael Papps off Leighton Burtt while Sam Wells contributed 27 and it was then left to allrounder Warren McSkimming and Neil Wagner to throw the bat.

These two put on a highly entertaining stand of 88 in a little over 14 overs as they adopted an aggressive mindset.

Wagner hit five fours and two sixes in rushing to 41 before Astle held a smart catch off fast bowler Chris Martin operating with the second new ball.

McSkimming's defiance ended when he had reached 70 off 89 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, when a looping bouncer from Andrew Ellis was edged to Peter Fulton at first slip.

The wickets were shared around the Canterbury bowlers, with the best of them being seamer Ellis, who finished with three for 37 off 14 overs.

Fast bowler Shane Bond got through his share of work, sending down 21 overs to take two for 85 and end the match with six wickets as he strives to prove his fitness ahead of the first test against Pakistan next week in Dunedin.

- NZPA