New Zealand State Championship in Graphics: Round 4 by Jack Solock

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Event:

State Championship 2004/05

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DateLine: 16th February 2005

 

Round Four of the State Championship was highlighted with a performance of pure class from Auckland Aces, coming back from a deficit of 99 runs on first innings to destroy any pretension (for now, anyway) that Wellington or anyone else was going to challenge their position in the points table. Upon winning the toss at Eden Park, Brooke Walker put in Wellington and watched as Michael Parlane scored 203 (his highest first class score, and the highest in the competition so far this year) of the first 399 runs scored in 8 of the 10 partnerships of the innings. After a decent response, Auckland still found themselves in arrears, and without the services of their strike bowler Tama Canning, who injured his side bowling in the first innings. At this point Kerry Walmsley and Andre Adams stepped up, taking 3 and 6 wickets respectively, with Walmsley wiping out the top of the Wellington order, and Adams eliminating the tail. For Adams, 10 for 118 represented his first 10 wicket match haul in 1st class cricket. Wellington had nothing left. After surviving some testing early bowling by Iain O'Brien and James Franklin, Auckland romped home by 6 wickets.

 

Canterbury finally awoke from their season-long slumber with a thumping 343 run victory over fading Central Districts. It was the largest victory by runs in the history of Canterbury cricket, besting their 342 run victory over Auckland at Christchurch in a timeless match in December 1924 (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/10/f10869.html).

 

This game was highlighted by eye opening performances with the bat and ball. With the bat, Peter Fulton announced his arrival at the State Championship party, better late than never, and what an announcement it was. Coming into this game with Championship scores of 48,4,17,18, and 23, averaging 22, Fulton scored 154 in 195 balls, with 30 fours and a six. His century came up in 99 balls and 117 minutes. His third fifty came up in 33 balls and 48 minutes. He scored a hundred in one session before lunch, only the fifth time a Canterbury batsman had achieved the milestone, after:

 

1: John Powell (164 v Otago at Christchurch, 1 March 1930). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/12/f12769.html)

 

2. Brun Smith (146 v Auckland at Auckland, 10 January 1949). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/17/f17955.html)

 

3. Sam Guillen (197 v Fiji at Auckland, 20 February 1954). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/20/f20114.html)

 

4. David Dempsey (131 v Otago at Christchurch, 18 January 1981). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/33/f33091.html)

 

By game's end Fulton had upped his average to 50.

 

But the best was yet to come. In Central District's second innings, with Stags chasing an impossible 456, they were shot out for 122, the main destroyer being Paul Wiseman, who took 9 for 13 from 16.4 overs, the second best innings analysis in New Zealand 1st class history, and only the fifth occurrence of a 9 wicket haul or better.

 

Top Bowling Analysis, New Zealand 1st class cricket:

 

1. Albert Moss (10-28, for Canterbury v Wellington, at Christchurch, December 1889). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/3/f3202.html)

 

2. Paul Wiseman (9-13, for Canterbury v Central Districts, at Christchurch, January 2005). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/47/f47982.html)

 

3. Albert Wensley (9-36, for Auckland v Otago, at Auckland, December 1929). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/12/f12713.html)

 

4. T. Eden (9-43, for Nelson v Wellington, at Wellington, March 1876). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/1/f1695.html)

 

5. Thomas Dent (9-47, for Hawke's Bay v Wellington, at Napier, April 1901). (http://www.cricketarchive.com/NewZealand/Scorecards/f/5/f5269.html)

 

Wiseman earned a national call-up after the match.

 

In the other match, Northern Districts, with five 19 year olds in the XI (Te Ahu Davis, Anton Devcich, Daniel Flynn, B.J. Watling, and Brad Wilson), easily defeated Otago by 8 wickets. Devcich, Watling, and Wilson each had 50s for Knights, and Davis took 3 for 113 from 31 overs. Flynn failed in his only innings.

 

 

The points graph shows what a full two game lead after 4 games looks like. Auckland have all but booked their place in the final. Below the mountain top, things are a bit more jumbled, this graph looking somewhat like what a graph of Australia and the rest of the nations in world cricket might look like (excluding West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh). The most telling line, outside of Auckland's is Central Districts. Since their shock defeat at the hands of Northern Districts in the second round, they have flatlined, while each of the other teams is on the up.

 

 

The wins minus losses graph gives a better picture of what is really going on. Auckland's true dominance shows in this picture, as well as Central Districts slide. Again, this graph begs the question: Why is a side rewarded for losing a game after achieving a first innings lead (Wellington, as Central Districts were two rounds ago), while a side making a great comeback to win a game (Auckland, as Northern Districts did two rounds ago) is penalized? There are two better points systems in use that New Zealand cricket might want to think about.

 

1) The Australia Pura Cup (http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/Pura_Cup_2004-05.html),

 

which awards 6 points for victory, regardless of first innings outcome, and 2 points for first innings win, regardless of the final outcome. Thus, a side can get 6 points, or 2 points, but not 8 points. In this way, winning after trailing on first innings does not penalize a team.

 

2) The Indian Ranji Trophy (http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/Ranji_Trophy_2004-05.html),

 

which awards 4 points for a win (5 for an innings or 10 wicket win), and 2 points for a first innings win in a draw only. Under this system, Wellington would have lost their two points after losing the match to Auckland. Pura allows for inflating the value of a loss, but never deflates the value of a victory. Ranji gets it spot on, your side loses, your side gets nothing, no matter how well it might have done in first innings. Did Australia deserve innings points after losing to India after enforcing the follow-on in March 2001?

 

 

As would be expected, the net runs per wicket lines are beginning to converge toward the center. Still, Auckland actually increased their lead in this area over Wellington (the only two sides with positive NRPW rates), as would be expected with their victory. This graph clearly shows a Central Districts side that is slumping at present. And it also shows a Canterbury side that is beginning to roll. Wizards line looks like a big train starting a bit late, but beginning to pull out of the station. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait another month to see where this train is going.

 

Sources for this article:

 

Michael Brown, Terry Maddaford, Chris Rattue, and New Zealand Press Association game stories--New Zealand Herald (Auckland)
New Zealand Press Association game stories--Otago Times (Dunedin)
nzcricket.co.nz game stories
nzcricket.co.nz scorecards

 

(Article: Copyright © 2005 Jack Solock)