Canterbury's 21-year-old left-arm wristspinner Blake Coburn took 7 for 64 to help his side defend 245 and clinch a thrilling eight-run win over Northern Districts in Rangiora.

Playing only his second first-class match, the 21-year-old Coburn broke two important partnerships in Northern Districts' chase, first dismissing Bharat Popli to end an 80-run second-wicket partnership and then getting the wicket of Tim Seifert to break a sixth-wicket partnership with 42. Having begun the final day with 245 to chase off 96 overs, Northern Districts lost wickets in clumps. Three of Coburn's seven wickets came in the 78th over, in the space of five balls, reducing Northern Districts to 205 for 9. However, a stubborn tenth-wicket stand of 31 between Brent Arnel (16) and Joe Walker (18*) frustrated Canterbury, before Coburn dismissed Arnel in the 90th over of the innings to complete the win. The other three wickets in Northern Districts' chase were taken by seamer Will William.

Earlier, the impetus in Canterbury's first innings of 381 came from half-centuries by Chad Bowes (65), Ken McClure (79) and Cole McConchie (85) after they had opted to bat first. Daniel Sams' 51-ball 49 added quick runs at the end.

That Canterbury only managed a first-innings lead of 42 was down to Anton Devcich's fourth first-class century, which helped Northern Districts rally from a middle-order slump. Northern Districts had slipped from 156 for 3 to 163 for 7 but the last three wickets, shepherded by Devcich, yielded partnerships of 64, 49 and 63. Offspinner Tim Johnston took two of the four wickets in that period, ending with 5 for 78 in the innings, while Sams took 3 for 48.

In Canterbury's second innings, Devcich took out two wickets, while Scott Kuggeleijn added another three scalps to his first-innings three-for. Sams' 74-ball 84, however, steered Canterbury to 202, augmenting the 42-run lead, which proved just enough for a win.