Allen Stars with Bat, Toole takes 5, Northern Cruise to Victory - Ford Trophy Round Two Wrap-up

CENTRAL STAGS VERSUS CANTERBURY - PUKEKURA PARK, NEW PLYMOUTH

RESULT: NORTHERN DISTRICTS WIN BY 4 WICKETS

Canterbury 278/10 (46.4) with Mitch Hay making 82 (80) and Ray Toole taking 5/72 (9.4). Central Stags 280/6 (48.5) with Curtis Heaphy making 70 (107) and Will Clark 59 (55).

The home side won the toss and sent Canterbury into bat.

Canterbury got off to a great start with Chad Bowes and Matt Boyle taking the Stags to the boundary early on. They lasted through the powerplay, but Bowes fell on the second to last ball of it for 36 (27). After claiming Bowes’ wicket, Jayden Lennox then grabbed Dylan Hunter next ball for a golden duck.

Boyle only seemed to be dealing in boundaries, but as he looked to a shot off Ray Toole, he edged behind to Dane Cleaver for 47 (36), 46 of those runs coming from fours or sixes.

Cole McConchie didn’t last long either as he was gone for 7 (23), Blair Tickner claiming his first one of the day.

Mitch Hay and Michael Rippon worked well together, seeing off the majority of the middle overs of the game, the Stags were unable to buy a breakthrough and fell desperate with Josh Clarkson, Will Clark, and Brad Schmulian all rolling the arm as well.

Tickner was introduced back into the attack and struck in the over, Rippon went for 43 (46) after a quality partnership that saw his side go from 104/4 to 201/5.

Hay and Zak Foulkes then added a few more runs, before Hay (82) was dismissed just as he was looking dangerous.

Foulkes then fell in the next couple of overs to Clarkson leaving two new batters at the crease to try and find some lower-order runs.

Toole stopped the majority of the Canterbury lower-order onslaught by picking up Bevon Jacobs, Cam Paul and Angus McKenzie in relatively quick succession to end the visitor's innings on 278/10 (46.4).

Ray Toole celebrates his five wicket haul. Photo Credit: NZC

Toole took the most wickets, with a maiden 5 wicket haul and Hay scored the most runs with 82.

Jack Boyle and Brad Schmulian opened up in reply for the Stags, but Boyle fell cheaply for 7 (12). Captain Cleaver, couldn’t find any luck either as he was dismissed for a duck in the next over.

Debutant Curtis Heaphy and Schmulian added 40 more runs in six overs before Canterbury newcomer Cam Paul bowled Schmulian.

The Stags were going to need to find a middle-order partnership and Clarkson showed some intent throughout his time in the middle with Heaphy but was dismissed 6 short of fifty, Canterbury captain McConchie making the breakthrough.

Stags youngsters Clark and Heaphy now had the challenge of getting the Stags back into the game and into a position where they could push for a win. Both showed great skill throughout their knocks, with Heaphy dismissed in the 43rd for 70 (107) by Foulkes.

Clark and Bayley Wiggins saw the Stags through to the near end of the game, but there were still 14 runs required when Clark edged behind to Hay off McKenzie’s bowling for a well-made 59 (55).

Bevan Small and Wiggins saw the Stags through to victory with 1.5 overs left.

Heaphy top scored with 70 whilst Foulkes took 2 wickets.

Central Stags XI: Brad Schmulian, Jack Boyle, Dane Cleaver (©, WK), Curtis Heaphy, Josh Clarkson, Will Clark, Bayley Wiggins, Bevan Small, Jayden Lennox, Blair Tickner, Ray Toole, Liam Dudding (12th)

Canterbury: Chad Bowes, Matt Boyle, Dylan Hunter, Mitch Hay (WK), Cole McConchie ©, Michael Rippon, Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs, Angus McKenzie, Cam Paul, Will O’Rourke, Harry Chamberlain (12th)

NORTHERN DISTRICTS VERSUS WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS - SEDDON PARK, HAMILTON

RESULT: NORTHERN DISTRICTS WIN BY 6 WICKETS

Wellington 198/10 (49.9) with Troy Johnson making 57 (102) whilst Kris Clarke and Scott Kuggeleijn took three wickets each. Northern 199/4 (32.4) with Joe Carter making 54 (44) and Ben Sears taking 2/17.

The home side got off to an excellent start, taking the wickets of Nick Greenwood (4), Tim Robinson (3), and Gareth Severin (5) inside the first 11 overs.

Wellington started to build a partnership between captain Nick Kelly and Troy Johnson but only lasted 10 overs before Kelly fell for 15.

Johnson and Callum McLachlan fought back in the middle stages. Whilst they weren’t scoring quickly, they were putting their side in a position where they could attack near the end of the innings.

McLachlan was dismissed by Joe Walker for 18, bringing Nathan Smith to the crease who showed some attacking skills in his 31-ball 37. However, Johnson fell in the 43rd over, Smith was gone in the 45th over, and the visitors were running out of wickets and time to attack, with only 158 runs on the board.

Adam Milne (1), Peter Younghusband (11) and Ben Sears (2) made little contributions to the score, but Logan van Beek’s 25 got them up to 198/10 in 49.4 overs.

Johnson was the top scorer with 57 (102) while Kuggeleijn took 3/40 (9.4) and Kris Clarke grabbed 3/42 (8).

The home side got off to a fast start with Katene Clarke and Tim Seifert bringing up 50 inside the powerplay.

Both Clarke and Seifert fell quickly within each other, Sears getting Clarke out for 38 and Smith getting Seifert for 42.

Henry Cooper only lasted 6 overs before he was walking back to the pavilion.

Joe Carter was batting well alongside both Cooper and Raval, bringing up his 12 List A 50 in his 50th List A game for ND.

Joe Carter celebrates his 12th List A fifty. Photo Credit: NZC

Raval and Brett Hampton saw their side home with no more wickets lost and chased down the total in 32.4 overs.

Carter top scored in the chase of 198 with 54 runs while Seifert made 42 and Clarke 38. Ben Sears took 2/17 from 6 overs for Wellington.

Northern Districts: Tim Seifert (WK), Katene Clarke, Henry Cooper, Joe Carter, Jeet Raval ©, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kris Clarke, Tim Pringle, Joe Walker, Matt Fisher, Peter Drysdale (12th)

Wellington: Nick Greenwood, Tim Robinson, Gareth Severin, Nick Kelly ©, Troy Johnson, Callum McLachlan (WK) Nathan Smith, Logan van Beek, Adam Milne, Peter Younghusband, Ben Sears, Jesse Tashkoff (12th)

AUCKLAND ACES VERSUS OTAGO VOLTS - KENNARDS HIRE COMMUNITY OVAL, AUCKLAND

RESULT: AUCKLAND WIN BY 7 RUNS

Otago 268/7 (50) with Thorn Parkes making 78 (93) and Llew Johnson 68 (36). Auckland Aces 274/3 (46.3) with Finn Allen making 168 (110) and Robbie O’Donnell getting 46* (91).

Otago won the toss and elected to bat for the second meeting between the two sides in four days, however, they were up the other end of the country, in Auckland.

Hamish Rutherford and Luke Georgeson didn’t get their side off to the best start with Rutherford being trapped LBW by Matt Gibson in the first over.

Georgeson and captain Dean Foxcroft saw Otago through the rest of the powerplay without any more wickets being lost. Georgeson was however out for 17 (35) in the 12th over, Sean Solia grabbing his only wicket of the day.

Dale Phillips didn’t last very long as he was unable to make much change to the score in his knock of 6 (13).

Youngster and rising star, Thorn Parkes batted beautifully with captain Foxcroft as the pair put on 70 runs for the fourth wicket in 20 overs, Adi Ashok was the main reason behind the slow run rate, as he only conceded 39 runs from his 10 overs.

Foxcroft was bowled by Ashok for 62 (108) and from here Llew Johnson went crazy as he smashed 5 fours and 5 sixes in a quickfire knock of 68 from 36, his fifty being made in 27 balls.

Johnson did fall victim to Danru Ferns with 2.3 overs left and then Parkes was out next over for 78 (93).

Max Chu could only add four runs to the score, while Ben Lockrose made a quick 7-ball 16 to see the Volts through to 268/7 from their fifty overs.

Finn Allen and George Worker opened up for the Aces and early on it looked like Auckland were going to take the chase at their own pace.

Finn Allen celebrates his 100. Photo Credit: NZC

Worker was the first one to go for 18, Jacob Duffy grabbing his wicket inside the powerplay.

This brought Will O’Donnell to the crease, with his job being to support Allen and let him go about with his usual attacking nature.

O’Donnell seemed to be having the job of just taking it slowly, as he was run out for 16 from 43 balls.

From here on, the viewers were witness to a special knock by Finn Allen who raced to a 1st List A century for Auckland off 86 balls.

Allen kept attacking and took the game away from the Volts, getting his 150 in 105 balls, meaning he went from 100 to 150 in the space of 19 balls.

Allen was unfortunately dismissed with only 11 runs left for victory.

Robbie O’Donnell, who finished on 46* and Sean Solia saw Auckland through to the end of the game and the win was brought up with a six.

Allen top scored with 168 (110) with 11 sixes, only Jamie How and Colin Munro above him on the most sixes in a Ford Trophy innings. Allen also made the second-highest score for an Auckland Aces player in the Ford Trophy. Duffy and Travis Muller were the only two to take wickets for Otago.

Auckland: Finn Allen, George Worker, Will O’Donnell, Robbie O’Donnell, Sean Solia ©, Cam Fletcher (WK), Ryan Harrison, Adi Ashok, Danru Ferns, Louis Delport, Matt Gibson, Jock McKenzie (12th)

Otago: Hamish Rutherford, Luke Georgeson, Dean Foxcroft ©, Dale Phillips, Thorn Parkes, Llew Johnson, Max Chu (WK), Ben Lockrose, Travis Muller, Matt Bacon, Ollie White (12th)