.png)
The Ford Trophy season has begun for the 2023/24 summer with three close games in Invercargill, Christchurch and Nelson.
CENTRAL STAGS VERSUS NORTHERN DISTRICTS - SAXTON OVAL, NELSON
RESULT: NORTHERN DISTRICTS WIN BY 28 RUNS
Northern Districts 272/7 (50) with Jeet Raval making 96 (103). Central Stags 244/8 (50) with Dane Cleaver making 93 (101) and 2 wickets each for Kris Clarke, Matt Fisher, Tim Pringle and Joe Walker.
Northern won the toss on a sunny day in Nelson and chose to bat first.
The Stags got off to a great start with Bevan Small removing Blackcap Tim Seifert (1) and Katene Clarke (17) in the first 10 overs. Josh Clarkson then got in on the action as he had Henry Cooper edging behind to Dane Cleaver for 9.
The home side was able to keep picking up wickets throughout with Joe Carter (36), Kris Clarke (4) and Scott Kuggeleijn (1) all falling inside the first twenty-six overs to leave the visitors at 94/6. Will Clark was the destroyer of the Northern middle order as he picked up the breakthrough wickets of Carter and Clarke.
A decisive partnership between Brett Hampton, who has been on fire in the Plunket Shield and Jeet Raval was able to get the Northern Districts side out of trouble with a 129-run stand from just over twenty overs between them before Raval was out for 96.
Hampton then was able to launch in the remaining 3.2 overs taking 49 runs from them, alongside Tim Pringle (8).
The visitors finished on 272/7 from their fifty overs with Raval top scoring with 96 and Hampton making 88. Clark took 2/25 and Small got figures of 2/69.
The Stags got off to a slowish start with Brad Schmulian the first player to fall for 11. A solid partnership was then built between Jack Boyle and Cleaver before Pringle made the massive breakthrough with Boyle falling for 31.
Ben Smith (13) didn’t last too long in his first game of the summer and Clarkson (6) soon joined him back in the sheds.
Clark and Cleaver then played well together as they tried to get their side back in the game, before Cleaver was dismissed by Joe Walker, 7 runs short of a century.
Clark then fell four overs later for 43 and being the last recognised batter, the Stags hopes of winning were hanging by a thread.
Small (1) and Angus Schaw (7) could do little to change the score and Jayden Lennox (13*) and Blair Tickner (16*) both ended not out, as the home team fell 28 runs short.
Cleaver top scored with 93 and Clark made 43. Kris Clarke, Matt Fisher, Pringle and Walker all took four wickets.
Central Stags XI: Brad Schmulian, Jack Boyle, Dane Cleaver (©, WK), Ben Smith, Josh Clarkson, Will Clark, Angus Schaw, Bevan Small, Jayden Lennox, Blair Tickner, Ray Toole, Liam Dudding (12th)
Northern Districts XI: Katene Clarke, Tim Seifert (WK), Henry Cooper, Joe Carter, Jeet Raval ©, Kris Clarke, Scott Kuggeleijn, Brett Hampton, Tim Pringle, Joe Walker, Matt Fisher, Zak Gibson (12th)
CANTERBURY VERSUS WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS - HAGLEY OVAL, CHRISTCHURCH
RESULT: CANTERBURY WIN BY 63 RUNS
Canterbury 220/10 (49.2) with Mitch Hay making 75 (91) and Angus McKenzie 58 (70). Adam Milne picked up 5/24 (9.2). Wellington 157/10 (32) with Tim Robinson making 51 (46). Cam Paul and Michael Rippon both took three wickets.
Wellington sent in a Canterbury side with three players on List A debut.
Matt Boyle found himself back in the pavilion inside the first seven overs having made 5. Chad Bowes then fell 10 overs later to Netherlands international Logan van Beek.
Dylan Hunter departed in the next over for 19 and skipper Cole McConchie was soon also back in the pavilion, out for a golden duck.
Michael Rippon (7), Bevon Jacobs (6) , and Zak Foulkes (2) all also found themselves walking back for not many runs as Adam Milne and Peter Younghusband ripped through the middle order.
Angus McKenzie (58) and Mitch Hay (75) then combined for a game changing partnership of 117 and both of them made their maiden List A fifties.
Cam Paul could add nothing to the score after coming in following the dismissal of Hay and then McKenzie became Milne’s fifth victim of the afternoon as the home side were all out for 220.
Tim Robinson and Nick Greenwood opened the batting for the visitors in pursuit of 221, but didn’t get off to a good start as Greenwood was gone for 10.
Gareht Severin and Robinson then got Wellington back on their feet taking them to just under a hundred before Robinson was dismissed by O’Rourke, after just making his maiden List A fifty.
The loss of Robinson’s wicket left Wellington to go from 91/2 to 126/5 and then all out for 157.
Michael Rippon, Cam Paul and Cole McConchie did the majority of the damage with Troy Johnson the only one in the bottom eight players to score over 10 runs as Kelly (0), Younghusband (5) and Newton (4) all fell victim to Rippon.
Callum McLachlan (7), van Beek (4) and Severin (35) all fell to debutant Paul. Johnson (26) and Milne (6) were dismissed by McConchie.
Wellington finished all out for 157, Robinson making 51 and Severin 35. Paul and Rippon did the majority of the damage with two wickets each.
Canterbury XI: Chad Bowes, Matt Boyle, Dylan Hunter, Mitch Hay (WK), Cole McConchie ©, Michael Rippon, Bevon Jacobs, Zak Foulkes, Angus McKenzie, Cam Paul, Will O’Rourke, Harry Chamberlain (12th)
Wellington XI: Nick Greenwood, Tim Robinson, Gareth Severin, Nick Kelly ©, Troy Johnson, Callum McLachlan (WK), Logan van Beek, Adam Milne, Ollie Newton, Peter Younghusband, Ben Sears, Jesse Tashkoff (12th)
OTAGO VOLTS VERSUS AUCKLAND ACES - QUEEN’S PARK, INVERCARGILL
RESULT: CANTERBURY WIN BY 42 RUNS
Otago 302/6 (50) with Dale Phillips making 107 (99) and Thorn Parkes 51 (57). Auckland Aces 260/10 (44.5) with Will O’Donnell making 83 (101) and Matt Bacon picking up a five wicket haul 5/38 (8.5).
Hamish Rutherford and Luke Georgeson were sent into bat by Auckland captain Sean Solia.
They got their side off to a good start with an 80-run partnership before Georgseson (31) departed. He was soon joined by Rutherford (44).
Captain Dean Foxcroft was gone cheaply for 18 which brought about the major partnership in the Volts innings between Dale Phillips and Thorn Parkes as they put on a 128-run stand.
After reaching his fifty, Parkes was gone three balls later for 51, Adi Ashok grabbing the breakthrough. Llew Johnson was then run out four balls later for 2.
Max Chu and Phillips added a few more runs before Danru Ferns took the wicket of Phillips for 107, with 1.3 overs left. Ben Lockrose (7*) and Chu (25*) took the Volts to a total of 302/6 from their 50 overs.
The Aces got off to a good start with Finn Allen doing the majority of the early damage. George Worker was bowled by Matt Bacon for 5 in the first seven overs, and then Allen was out to Travis Muller for 42 only a couple of overs later.
The O’Donnell brothers (Will and Robbie) had a great partnership together as they added just over a hundred runs in 20 overs to get the team into a semi-comfortable position.
However, when Robbie O’Donnell fell for 43, this led to a mini collapse as Solia (9) and Fletcher (1) also fell not long after.
Ryan Harrison and Will O’Donnell tried their best to get the run rate back up and they went into the last 10 overs requiring just under 90 runs for victory.
When Harrison (24) and O’Donnell (83) fell within quick succession it was looking ever so likely that the game was going to go Otago’s way.
Bacon then came back into the attack and sent Ferns (0), Ashok (25) and Matt Gibson (4) all back to the sheds, wrapping up the game with the wicket of Gibson.
Auckland finished all out for 260, falling 42 runs short. Will O’Donnell top scored with 83 whilst his brother made 43. Bacon grabbed his maiden 5 wicket haul (5/38).
Otago Volts XI: Hamish Rutherford, Luke Georgeson, Dean Foxcroft ©, Dale Phillips, Thorn Parkes, Llew Johnson, Max Chu, Ben Lockrose, Travis Muller, Jacob Duffy, Matt Bacon, Ollie White (12th)
Auckland Aces XI: 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)
Comments