Sixteen wickets tumbled in the Plunket Shield cricket match in Whangarei on Tuesday, with Northern Districts holding the whip hand after rolling Central Districts for just 94.
Career-best figures of six for 49 by seamer Graeme Aldridge helped skittle the visitors on the stroke of lunch at Cobham Oval before Northern Districts also found runs hard to come by on a surface offering pace, bounce and sideways movement.
They were 184 for six at stumps on the first day of the four-day match, after former international Michael Mason kept his team in the contest by returning figures of four for 59.
Lower order batsmen Joseph Yovich, with an unbeaten 30, and newcomer Jono Boult, on 33 not out, will resume tomorrow after an unbroken stand of 65 runs for the seventh wicket, the most productive partnership during a day of constant comings and goings.
Fresh from an outright win over Otago, whom they rolled for 88 in the first innings in Dunedin a week ago, Northern Districts had no hesitation before inserting Central Districts upon winning the toss.
The only resistance came from international Ross Taylor, who topscored with 29, but the day's honours sat with 32-year-old Aldridge as he extracted consistent sideways movement to worry all of the batsmen.
It marked the sixth five-wicket haul of his first-class career which now stretches to 72 matches.
Helpful conditions
Aldridge's new ball partner Trent Boult also made the most of the helpful conditions to pick up four for 15 as the visitors perished inside 34 overs.
Aldridge got into his work quickly, removing opener Jamie How and George Worker in just his second over, both caught at gully by Kane Williamson.
Three of his next four victims were also dismissed by catches behind, the odd man out being Bevan Griggs, who was trapped leg before wicket.
Wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan had a busy day, pouching six catches, three each off Aldridge and Boult, leaving him one short of the Northern Districts innings record set by Bryan Young in 1986-87.
Slump
Mason gave Central Districts the start they wanted by quickly accounting for Michael Parlane and Anton Devcich as Northern Districts slumped to nine for two.
Brad Wilson and James Marshall started the rebuilding mission and put on 61 for the third wicket before Mason snared his third wicket when dismissing Marshall for 30.
Wilson went in the first over after tea for 43 before Yovich and Boult joined forces to deny the visitors any more success.
