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Northern Districts vs Wellington Firebirds:
Wellington found themselves on the backfoot early in the fixture between the only two sides that could lift the shield.
Tim Southee, on his return to Northern, had success with the wicket of Nick Greenwood for a two-ball duck.
However, a 115-run second-wicket stand between Tim Robinson and Gareth Severin got the visitors right back into the match.
Two quick wickets before lunch had Robinson (64) and Nick Kelly (1) on their way with Scott Kuggeleijn and Joe Walker getting the respective wickets.
Muhammad Abbas (22) and Severin (80) saw Wellington into the 170s, but both fell within a couple of overs to leave Wellington five down. That soon became seven down and just 220 runs on the board.
Both Michael Bracewell (20) and Nathan Smith (2) fell to Walker as the game started to swing back in Northern’s direction. There was resistance by Logan van Beek (eight from 49), but he too fell just before stumps with Freddy Walker getting the wicket.
Peter Younghusband could only last seven balls before perishing to Joe Walker leaving Wellington captain Tom Blundell and number 11 Ben Sears at the crease.
They managed to see Wellington through the rest of the final session without losing a further wicket. Blundell then managed to bring up his 15th first-class century from 156 balls but went for 103 with Freddy Walker getting him caught and bowled.
Wellington all out for 323 with four wickets each to the Walker brothers.
Northern’s top order mainly managed to stick around at the crease with Henry Cooper (44) and Bharat Popli (60) showing their skills. Jeet Raval (10) went to Bracewell whilst Younghusband had Joe Carter for 25.
The visitors did manage to gain the upper hand with Northern sitting five down and only 154 runs on the board, after yet another delay to play due to rain.
Brett Hampton and Tim Seifert however had other ideas for how they wanted the game to go. Hampton smashed a quickfire 70 from 78 balls, out to Smith and Seifert grabbed his 7th first-class century before being undone by the spin of Younghusband on 104.
Kuggeleijn finished 23*, but none of the lower order (Freddy Walker, Southee, and Matt Fisher) could add much resistance with Northern being bowled out for 362, a lead of 39 runs.
Both Robinson (44) and Greenwood (41) had success at the top of the order in Wellington’s second innings, but the wicket of Greenwood did spark a quick collapse for the visitors.
Joe Walker had Greenwood leg before and then not long after had Severin in the same fashion for one.
Robinson being bowled by Raval led to Wellington employing the nightwatchman of Younghusband, but he too perished edging behind to Seifert off Freddy Walker for seven.
Sears (2*) and Kelly (28*) ended the day with Wellington at 127/4, all set for what was going to be an exciting final day.
The weather had other ideas as play was eventually called off at 15:04 and Wellington got the prized possession of the Plunket Shield, ahead of Northern on the table by three points.
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury:
The Aucklanders struggled in their first innings with Zak Foulkes ripping through the Auckland top order early on.
He grabbed Will O’Donnell (3), Sean Solia (4), Robbie O’Donnell (9), and George Worker (27) as the home side collapsed to 82/4. It didn’t take much longer for Foulkes to have his fifth wicket with Quinn Sunde being bowled for 41.
None of the rest of the Auckland batting lineup could get started as they limped to a total of just 216 via some late hitting from Angus Olliver (27* from 14).
Jock McKenzie had earlier been bowled for 19 by Michael Rae, Cole Briggs trapped leg before to Michael Rippon for 24, and Danru Ferns out for Angus McKenzie for 24 as well.
Louis Delport only managed six and Jordan Sussex 20.
Canterbury had batting wobbles off their own with Henry Nicholls falling in the second over for one to Sussex.
Chad Bowes (26 from 18) got off to a quick start but soon too found himself walking back, out to Sussex.
Youngster Rhys Mariu made his way out to 41 from 54 and Canterbury captain Cole McConchie also got 41 but from 68 balls. However, Auckland kept having success as Sussex bagged nightwatchman Rae for three and Leo Carter for 12.
Solia and Ferns had the wickets of Mariu and McConchie respectively.
Sussex’s second first-class five-wicket bag happened when he bowled Michael Rippon for a duck, but he wasn’t quite done there. Foulkes made a duck and Angus McKenzie made one, Sussex now on seven wickets.
Canterbury’s number 11, Sean Davey and wicket-keeper Mitch Hay then managed to put on a match-saving 95-run partnership, both bringing up fifties in the process.
Sussex had his eighth and final wicket when Davey edged behind to Briggs for 53, Hay left on 54* at the other end.
Auckland’s batters once again struggled with Will O’Donnell (14) out to Davey, Quinn Sunde (13) bowled by Angus McKenzie, and Robbie O’Donnell (27) out to Foulkes.
Solia (84), Worker (43), and Jock McKenzie (40) all looked like they were batting on another wicket but at the fall of McKenzie’s wicket, there was a collapse for Auckland.
Briggs (6*), Ferns (8), Delport (9), Sussex (2), and Olliver (4) had their stays ended at the crease early, mainly by Davey’s quick four wickets to bowl them out for 257.
Bowes and Nicholls got Canterbury off to a strong start in chase of 232, with the batters just treating it like a one-day match.
The openers of Bowes (60) and Nicholls (43) set up the foundation for the likes of Mariu (62*), McConchie (34), and Carter (18) to push on and get the side home inside 48 overs.
Mitch Hay hit the winning runs to finish on 8* as Canterbury took a dominant six-wicket victory to end their season on a high.
Central Stags vs Otago Volts:
Just like the other fixtures around the country, the openers struggled to get going with Liam Dudding getting Jacob Cumming for ten and Dean Foxcroft for three, whilst Blair Tickner had Thorn Parkes for 12.
Otago newbie Jamal Todd and Dale Phillips then showed some fight with a 76-run partnership for the third wicket, but this was cut short by Stags bowler Josh Clarkson to have Todd on his way for 45.
Phillips shared a 40 run stand with Luke Georgeson (7) and a 55-run stand with Max Chu (31).
Ben Lockrose (15) and Travis Muller (2) both went to Will Clark in quick succession but a blazing Andrew Hazledine struck a quick 34 from 27 to go along with Phillips who made his sixth first-class ton.
Tickner eventually managed to wrap up Otago’s innings with the wicket of Phillips, but only after he’d blazed his way to 144 from 210.
Central’s reply to Otago’s first innings score of 309 didn’t start well as Curtis Heaphy fell to Jacob Duffy for a two-ball duck.
Will Young and Greg Hay (who was playing his final game) then put on a 153 second wicket stand, before Young fell victim to Muller ten runs short of his century.
Brad Schmulian (58) and Tom Bruce (32) provided support to Hay who made his way to his 18th first-class century from 236 balls.
Dane Cleaver (11) and Josh Clarkson (13) couldn’t add much support with Central moving to 373/6.
Clark joined Hay in the middle and provided some firepower on his way to a career-best 66 from 97. However, it was Hay who had been very stable at the other end going past the 150 mark and looking to push close to 200.
Hay was unfortunately dismissed for 179 as he tried to reverse sweep Lockrsoe, but found the hands of Todd.
Ajaz Patel (51) and Blair Tickner (46*) got the Stags through to 580/10, along with Dudding making a four-ball duck.
Cumming (14) and Foxcroft (16) fell cheaply to Dudding and Clarkson respectively, but it was Parkes at the other end who was able to keep the score ticking over for the Southerners making his way to 40 before being bowled by Clark.
Todd (10), Georgeson (1), and Chu (19) could provide little help to nightwatchman Muller, who made his way to his third first-class 50.
Jake Gibson, who had replaced Phillips after a concussion hit a quick 35 from 49 before Dudding grabbed his third wicket of the innings.
Lockrose (6) became Dudding’s fourth and Muller was eventually trapped leg before by Dudding for 71, to give Dudding a second first-class bag.
Tickner wrapped the match up by bowling Duffy for a duck to give the Stags an innings and 40-run victory to send captain Greg Hay off into retirement in style.
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