Narrow win to Wellington after thrilling climax

In a match in which some of the best batting came from the lower order, it was fitting that the winning runs were struck by a No 11.

Wellington's Jeetan Patel hit Matthew Hart to the midwicket boundary to give Wellington a one-wicket victory over Northern Districts and six points in the State Championship.

Patel's four concluded an unbearably tense passage of play after lunch at the start of which Wellington needed 46 to win with three wickets standing.

From the first ball after the resumption, ND paceman Joseph Yovich trapped Wellington wicket-keeper Glynn Howell plumb lbw for the 13th and final duck of the match.

Fortunately for Wellington, they possess two of the most talented Nos 10 and 11 in the game in Mark Gillespie and Patel. In turn, they supported James Franklin in partnerships of 27 and 20 to see their side home.

With 21, Gillespie dominated the ninth-wicket stand. He stated his intentions by planting his front foot firmly down the pitch to cover drive Scott Styris for four. Two more boundaries came from the next over, bowled by Yovich.

With Gillespie using the pace of the faster bowlers well, ND skipper Robbie Hart brought on his brother Matthew's left-arm spin for the first time in the match, with immediate success. Gillespie rocked back to Hart's first ball, which was short. An edge was taken by Robbie Hart behind the stumps. Nineteen to get, one wicket left.

There may have been better last men than Patel, but there have surely been none whose batting style is more classical or who have remained so cool under pressure.

He and Franklin picked the balls to score from and defended well against the rest.

A straight drive for four by Franklin off Styris brought the target to within single figures.

The second delivery of Hart's next over squirted off Patel's bat just wide of slip for two.

In a bold move by Robbie Hart, slow left-armer Bruce Martin came on from the City End. Franklin pushed a single into the off side leaving victory within a boundary hit. Patel nudged another single to square leg.

The winning strike came from the first ball of Hart's next over.

Wellington had started the day needing 125 to win with eight wickets left. Five fell in the morning session, with Styris having a hand in all of them.

After a smooth start by Wellington, Styris dismissed three of their batsmen in seven deliveries for one run.

Selwyn Blackmore was caught in the gully by Matthew Hart for 32. The vital wicket of David Sales fell later in the same over. He chopped the ball onto his stumps from an attempted cut. Sales scored 62 from 75 balls with 11 fours. His batting in the final hour last night was the most important individual contribution to Wellington's win.

Matthew Walker quickly followed for the first pair of the game. Styris took a brilliant jumping catch, as Walker attempted a forcing shot back over the bowler's head.

A partnership of 71 for the sixth wicket between Grant Donaldson and Franklin ended the possibility of an ND victory in time for lunch. At times, Donaldson found it easier to hit boundaries than to push for singles. There were four fours and a six in his 33.

Styris removed him ten minutes before lunch, well caught by James Marshall at second slip.

Andrew Penn fell from the last ball before the interval, Styris taking the catch at second slip off Yovich.

The constant factor for the rest of the day was Franklin. In terms of scoring he was the junior partner in all his partnerships, his unbeaten 30 occupying 98 deliveries, but without his resolution Wellington would have lost by some margin.

The day's talking point was the suspension of Wellington skipper Matthew Bell for one match for dissent against umpire Mike George after being given out lbw yesterday. A code of conduct hearing early this morning reached the decision after receiving the umpires' report.

Bell misses next week's match against Otago.

Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson refused to comment on the Bell incident, but was happy to talk to CricInfo about his team's victory. He spent the last tense hour of the match pacing around.

"I'm not a great watcher. I tend to bat and bowl every ball with the players. I couldn't say that I was calm!"

He praised the maturity of Gillespie and Patel in the closing stages and Gillespie for his career-best bowling performance. Penn also registered a career-best, with his seven for 71 in the first innings.

"Andrew is an experienced campaigner and we relied a lot on him in this game. If you look at the players around the first-class scene at the moment, Andrew rates up there right at the top."

Despite the generally low scores Johnson had no complaints about the WestpacTrust Park pitch.

"It was a good cricket wicket. There was some poor batting and guys played outside the stumps."

ND captain Robbie Hart agreed.

"I don't believe that the pitch was bad, but on the first two days it was very bowler-friendly. Individual batsmen have to look at themselves to account for their performances."

Even with hindsight, Hart would not have done anything differently in the final overs.

"My decision making gave us the best chance of winning in the final overs. I would like to have yesterday over again in terms of our batting performance."

He singled out Michael Parlane's first-innings 146 as ND's individual performance of the match.

"A hundred on a green wicket was a huge achievement and it should have been a match-winning performance."

Today's result was the first one-wicket win in New Zealand cricket since Southern beat Central at Wanganui in a Shell Conference match in 1997/98.

Wellington go to third in the State Championship with 15 points. ND's first-innings lead keeps them a point behind in fourth place.