Auckland's one-day season reaches sadly predictable end

The one-day cricket season that Auckland would rather forget came to its expected limp finish at Eden Park's outer oval today when Wellington gained an easy win with 18 overs and about 90 minutes to spare.

Wellington thus headed for the State Shield final at the Basin Reserve next Saturday (meeting either Northern Districts or Canterbury who will play off on Wednesday) and Auckland Cricket Association officials should have started a survey of what really went wrong with their one-day season.

Today Auckland had the advantage of winning first use of their home pitch, but they were immediately in trouble against well-controlled and accurate Wellington bowling. Wickets fell with indecent speed and regularity as if to suggest Wellington were trundling hand grenades along a minefield.

The early wickets fell at 8, 22 and 22. The seventh, eighth and ninth fell at 85 and to add to the incongruity of it all Richard Morgan (18) and Gareth Shaw (9) put on 30 runs for the last wicket - and the next best stand in the innings score of 115 was 19.

Andrew Penn started brilliantly, cutting the ball back to bowl Matt Horne who did not play a stroke, and ripped out three quick wickets at the end - giving Penn five for 19 from 10 overs, three of them maidens. Ash Turner got three early wickets and had the glamorous figures of three for 20 from 10 overs.

In sharp contrast Auckland could offer only one batsman Tama Canning (22) with a score above 20.

With plenty of time, overs and sunshine making conditions still good for batting, Wellington did not race after their win. They lost Chris Nevin to the second ball of the innings, Richard Jones at 19 and Matthew Bell at 53, but David Sales (63 not out) made sure the win was achieved with comfort at 119 for three in the 32nd over.

Tony Sail, the Auckland coach, said before play started today that he would not be available as coach next summer. He wanted to put his energies into coaching and developing the elite players coming through the schools and teenage ranks.

The fact that Auckland should field several players below first-class ability in recent weeks shows that once past the upper crust Auckland cricket is not producing the outstanding young players. Sail maintained that while he wanted to fill in some gaps with leading Under-19 players he could not find any of suitable class.

Auckland started the one-day competition at full strength, but with not quite enough polish to turn narrow losses into wins.

Once Auckland lost six players, Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Adam Parore, Dion Nash, Andre Adams and Kyle Mills to the New Zealand side, the playing side began to rely too heavily on a small number of players. Injuries to Aaron Barnes and then Chris Drum meant that Auckland fielded a below-strength side today - and it showed.

What it also showed was Auckland's ability to lose players to other centres. Otago are doing very nicely with Kerry Walmsley and Craig Pryor, neither really encouraged by recent Auckland team managements.

Welllington are getting along nicely with a couple of Auckland rejects, Jones, the batsman and Paul Hitchcock, the medium-fast bowler.

Until Auckland can manufacture a new breed of talented teenage players they should try and retain the use of what might be called marginal first class players such as Pryor, Walmsley, Jones and Hitchcock.

Otherwise Auckland will continue to suffer defeats equally as decisive and embarrassing as was the one-sided and dismal affair at Eden Park today.