North Otago beat Southland on the first innings in a Hawke Cup elimination match played at Queens Park over the weekend. Southland won the toss on Saturday and elected to bat, albeit in rather pedestrian fashion, to be 90 for four at lunch. Southland accelerated in the second session to be 227 for four at tea before slumping to be all out for 281 midway through the final session of the first day.

Campbell Cuthill(85) and Hamish Skelt(79) featured in a fifth wicket stand of 141 while Dean Fitzgibbon added 40.Jamie Ferris and Paul O'Dell took three wickets each while David Sewell and Simon Butler provided excellent backup with two wickets apiece.

North Otago batted through to stumps to be 22 for the loss of one wicket with Jordan Horrell the night-watchman. Horrell(34) stuck with opener James Cutt(42), the pair adding 69 for the second wicket and North Otago went to lunch at 172 for three with Simon Butler and Scott Simpson at the crease. This pair produced a fourth wicket stand of 184 with Butler going on to make 115 and Simpson dismissed for 92.Once North Otago passed the Southland total of 281 the tail end opened up with David Sewell( 29 not out) and Glynn Cameron(25 not out) adding 63 in an unbeaten tenth wicket stand before North Otago declared at 386 for nine at 4.25p.m. on the final day. Dean Allan was the best of the Southland bowlers taking four for 94.

Short Scorecard(s)

Representative - Hawke Cup - Zone Series

North Otago vs Southland at Queens Park, Invercargill
Southland 282 ( C. Cuthill 85, H. Skelt 79, S. Fitzgibbon 40, S. Wadsworth 24, B. Freeman 24, D. Williams 13, P.M. Odell 3-41, J.G. Ferris 3-63, S.M. Butler 2-40, D.G. Sewell 2-49 ) & 52-0 ( S. Wadsworth 28no, D. Williams 18no )
North Otago 384-9dec ( S.M. Butler 115, S.A. Simpson 92, J.R. Cutt 42, A.J. Horrell 34, D.G. Sewell 29no, R.L. Smith 26, G.R. Cameron 25no, Allen 4-94, Hodson 2-65 )
First innings win to North Otago.
Full scorecard for the match