Northern Districts will head to the Lincoln Ford Trophy festival looking for their first win of the season after being defeated by 84 runs in tonight's round two day/nighter at Seddon Park.

Scorecard

After choosing to bowl, Northern Districts (ND) were able to restrict Canterbury well early on, but couldn't get an early wicket, seeing Canterbury reach 100 without loss inside the 23rd over until Zak Gibson bowled Chad Bowes for 46.

Another partnership formed with Stephen Murdoch joining Jack Boyle, who had passed his half-century, but this was broken just after reaching 50 with Gibson in the action again, taking a catch off Ish Sodhi to remove Murdoch.

ND would strike twice more in the next few overs, Hampton dismissing McClure and Gibson grabbing his second with a caught-behind, to leave the game finely balanced in the 40th over at 183/4.

Fortunately for Canterbury, the set Boyle was still at the crease, and he raised his century before putting his foot down to add a further 26 runs in 13 balls, his innings then ending with a catch off the bowling of Anurag Verma.

Todd Astle, took up the charge, ending on 46 not out off 28 balls as Canterbury posted an impressive 296/5.

Unfortunately for ND they were a wicket down in the first over and two down in the sixth, as Tim Seifert and Dean Brownlie both departed early.

Youngster Katene Clarke built a partnership with captain Joe Carter as the pair seemed to be bringing the chase back on course, but Carter was trapped leg-before with the partnership on 49, helping to swing the game back in Canterbury's favour.

When Daryl Mitchell and Clarke, who was impressive in just his second Ford Trophy innings before being bowled for 48, were both dismissed with the score at 102, ND still needed 194 runs from 168 balls with five wickets left.

As with Carter and Clarke, Henry Cooper and Brett Hampton were beginning to bring the chase back on course before their partnership was also broken just shy of 50; Cooper caught-behind for 27.

Scott Kuggeleijn was the next batsman in as he and Hampton looked to stem the loss of wickets while picking off the runs where available, but when he was run out 50 balls later, the end was nigh; Sodhi (0), Hampton (47) and Verma (10) all departing within the next five overs to secure victory for the Cantabrians.