Central Districts have batted their way into the State Championship cricket final after chasing down a big target on the last day of their match against Canterbury in New Plymouth.
Central won the match by 3 wickets after running down an imposing target of 448 at Pukekura Park.
Hometown product Peter Ingram led the way with a magnificent 166, his ninth first-class century and his first at the ground for Central Districts, before Tim Weston hit an unbeaten 89 to complete the job as the overs wound down late in the afternoon.
It marked just the fifth occasion a team has scored in excess of 400 in the fourth innings to win a first-class match in New Zealand since 1863-64.
Victory lifted Central's points haul through seven rounds to 31, guaranteeing their presence in the final against Auckland starting on April 6th.
Auckland head the table on 35 points, and a quirk of the draw means the final combatants will meet each other in the closing round of regular season matches in Auckland starting on Sunday.
