Teams start to make their mark across Ford Trophy Round Eight action

Round eight action provided plenty of fire, with the finalists starting to shape up.

Wellington Firebirds vs Otago Volts:

A blazing knock by Jesse Tashkoff for the Firebirds in pursuit of 350 wasn’t enough as they fell 18 runs short at home.

Otago was on the backfoot early in the first innings, with Liam Dudding and Logan van Beek picking up the opening two wickets.

Middle order stands from Dean Foxcroft (79), Leo Carter (66*), and Max Chu’s maiden List A half-century (97) were the reason behind the Volts' success.

At the top of the order, it had been Dale Phillips with 48, who rescued the innings from 17/2.

Four wickets fell to van Beek, but he did go expensive with 85 runs against his name, whilst Liam Dudding picked up 2/58 from eight overs.

Tashkoff did all the work at the top of the order for Wellington as they made their way out to 108/3 when Muhammad Abbas departed in the 23rd over. This left Nick Kelly coming to the middle to provide support to Tashkoff.

The pair combined for a 134-run fourth wicket stand, which allowed the hosts to get back into the game and push for a late onslaught. Kelly did fall at a poor time for the Firebirds, with 67 runs to his name.

Tom Blundell (0) and Callum McLachlan (1) both soon joined him back in the pavilion by the 41st over.

The big wicket of Tashkoff came in the 43rd over when he tried to take on Ben Lockrose to bring up his 150 but was caught by Foxcroft for 148.

Despite some late hitting by van Beek (19), Peter Younghusband (26), and Iain McPeake (13*), the Volts got home.

Auckland Aces vs Northern Districts:

An all-around team performance by the Aces took them to a 71-run win at home and to the top of the Ford Trophy table.

After a 36-run opening stand, the Aces soon found themselves in trouble as they lost four wickets for no runs.

A rescue effort was made by Cam Fletcher (66), Bevon Jacobs (45), and Jimmy Neesham (51) to take the Aces back into the game, knocks that would prove vital in the victory for Auckland.

Louis Delport struck 15 in a 37-run stand with Fletcher before the Aces found themselves all out for 230.

Five of the six bowlers picked up wickets, with Brett Hampton finishing with figures of 3/46.

Northern struggled throughout their batting innings, with Hampton’s 61 from 54 balls, at number seven being the only main score of note.

Having slipped to 21/4 in the seventh over after Danru Ferns and Angus Olliver’s opening spells rumbled the visitors, there was a resistance shown by Northern.

Henry Cooper (24) and Jeet Raval (36) played patient knocks but fell at crucial points for Northern, who were dismissed for 159 in 42.2 overs and therefore bowing out of the Ford Trophy.

Neesham, Olliver, Ferns, and Nikith Perera all finished with two wickets each.

Central Stags vs Canterbury:

Fifties from Cole McConchie and Michael Rippon weren’t enough for Canterbury in Napier as the Stags took a seven-wicket win off the back of Jack Boyle’s 88*.

Brett Randell (2/39) and Ray Toole (3/7 from 8.3 overs) provided the pressure at the top as Canterbury slipped to 29/4 in the eighth over.

Rippon (51) joined his captain McConchie (67) in the middle, and the pair went about resurrecting the innings. It took Rippon 25 balls to get off the mark, with Toole bowling 42 balls without conceding a run.

When Stags captain Jayden Lennox broke the stand with Rippon’s wicket, they soon fell from 147/5 to 176 all out, with Lennox taking two more.

Toole and Lennox both finished with three wickets, whilst Randell grabbed two and Josh Clarkson one.

Despite the loss of both openers within the powerplay, Brad Schmulian edging behind off Kyle Jamieson for 15 and Dane Cleaver skying one off Fraser Sheat for 17, the Stags were able to cruise to victory.

Ish Sodhi did pick up a great return catch off his bowling to have Tom Bruce for 16, but it was Curtis Heaphy (37*) and Boyle who took the Stags to victory with over 10 overs to spare.