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Northern Districts have won their second game of the summer with a convincing win over Auckland at Kennards Hire Community Oval. Three players stood out over the three days in the wickets column, with Kris Clarke taking a 6-fer, Adi Ashok taking a 7-fer and Matt Fisher also grabbing six.
Auckland’s first batting innings got off to a terrible start with Kristian Clarke ripping through the top order of Will O’Donnell (7), Quinn Sunde (0), and George Worker (13). Scott Kuggeleijn also got the wicket of Sean Solia (8) to leave the Aucklanders sitting at 39/4 after 9.5 overs.
Cam Fletcher and captain Robbie O’Donnell then led a fightback as the pair worked well together following the top-order collapse. Matt Fisher, Zak Gibson and Brett Hampton all not being able to find a way to break through.
It took 24 overs before Fletcher eventually was trapped LBW by Hampton for 20. O’Donnell didn’t last too much longer as he was bowled by Kris Clarke for 61, giving him his fourth wicket of the innings.
Ryan Harrison and Simon Keene then combined for a mini lower order partnership of 34, before both of them fell four overs apart from each other, Fisher removing Keene for 18 and Kuggeleijn getting Gibson for 23.
Kris Clarke then cleaned up the tail as he got both Danru Ferns (12) and Matt Gibson (0) to claim his second FC five-wicket haul and his best figures at 6/45.
Northern’s innings got off to a solid start with Jeet Raval and Henry Cooper making 50 and 39 respectively, Cooper the first to fall.
Sandeep Patel couldn’t quite repeat his heroics of the last game, only making 21 this time and Adi Ashok taking his first wicket of the innings.
Raval was the next to go, three balls after making his 43rd FC 50.
Adi Ashok then took the wickets of Tim Seifert (6) and Katene Clarke (0) to leave the visitors at 138/5 and in need of some runs.
Scott Kuggeleikn and Joe Carter worked well to provide a solid partnership and get the team above 180 before Ashok once again struck, with Kuggeleijn the man to go. 10 overs later his fifth of the game with Joe Carter falling for a well-made 58.
Kristian Clarke made a healthy contribution of 20 at number 9, Ashok trapping him LBW. Brett Hampton and Zak Gibson were able to get their side to 287/9 when Hampton was caught behind by Fletcher off Will O’Donnell for 59, his fifth FC 50.
Ashok picked up the last wicket of the innings with Gibson also edging behind for 20. The result of the lower-order contributions got them to 295 in just over 80 overs.
The Auckland side were 111 runs behind and would require some significant scores if they were to have any chance at winning.
It didn’t quite exactly work out this way for them as the batting once again struggled. Will O’Donnell and Solia decided to go a tad more aggressive this innings having put 38 runs on the board when O’Donnell fell in the 7th over.
Fletcher was promoted up the order, but that didn’t work as Fisher soon had him LBW for 5. Solia also fell before the end of the day and the Aucklanders were reeling at 57/3 with Fisher having all three wickets to his name.
Robbie O’Donnell couldn’t quite repeat what he had done the first innings as he could only make 18 and Fisher now had four wickets. Sunde and Worker tried to find some runs, Sunde making the highest score of the innings with 35 before Kuggeleijn had his first.
Kuggeleijn and Gibson then both took a wicket, with Worker (16) and Harrison (4) falling before the end of the third day’s play. Auckland only 27 runs ahead and three wickets remaining going into the fourth day’s play.
Matt Fisher then had his fifth and sixth victims of the innings, also getting his best FC figures of 6/45 as Ashok (16) and Keene (8) both perished early on in the day. Kuggeleijn picked up Ferns a couple of overs later as Auckland ended their innings on 161, only 50 runs ahead of ND.
Seifert was promoted to the top of the order and was partnered with Cooper. The pair got ND off to a fast start before Seifert departed for 24. Cooper (18*) and Raval (6*) completed the innings in just over four overs to give their side the win by 9 wickets.
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