ROUND THREE
AUCKLAND ACES beat OTAGO VOLTS by 133 runs (bonus point win)
6 December 2020
Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
Selected milestones:
Michael Rae career best 7-35
Otago Volts best List A bowling analysis: 10-1-35-7
Michael Rae becomes 4th player to take 7 wickets in an innings in domestic NZ List A match. Second for O v A, and 1st to bowl more than 8 overs:
— Andrew (@shortflyslip) December 6, 2020
7-0-23-7 W Watson A v O 1984/85
8-1-28-7 A Penn W v ND 2000/01
7.1-0-49-7 E Marshall O v A 1993/94
10-1-35-7 M Rae O v A 2020/21
Michael Rae had the best day of his career with an outstanding record 7-fa at Eden Park Outer Oval. And yet it wasn't enough to get a win as the Volts took their first tumble of the campaign.
Rae's 7-35 was just the second instance of a List A seven-for in the team's history and bettered the previous record of 7-49 held by Evan Marshall since 1993/94.
The Auckland Aces had started well after having been sent in by Volts captain Nick Kelly, reaching 223 for five with half centuries to both in-form O'Donnell brothers Robbie (52) and Will (62) before Rae revved up again and began his rampage through the rest of the innings.
Having begun his first spell in the 10th over, he went wicketless in that first spell but returned for a solitary over in the 28th when he took out Graeme Beghin with his third ball.
His final spell began in the 42nd over with the Aces still comfortably placed at 210 for four and Ben Horne and Robbie O'Donnell at the crease.
The 44th over saw O'Donnell play on off the second delivery. Ryan Harrison and Ben Horne peeled singles off the next delivery before Rae put himself on a hat-trick with the last two balls of the over, removing both Harrison and Will Somerville caught.
Ross ter Braak survived the hat-trick ball at the start of the 46th over, but was Rae's next victim off the fifth ball of the over when he was trapped.
Rae then wrapped up the Aces' innings on 246 in the 48th by taking the final two wickets in his last three deliveries.
The Aces opening combo of Ben Lister and Ross ter Braak then had the perfect response, Lister trapping Mitch Renwick (back at the top of the order in the absence of a concussed Hamish Ruterford) in his first over before ter Braak took care of both Neil Broom and Anaru Kitchen with his first four deliveries to have the unbeaten Volts reeling at 3/3.
It got worse, all five of the top five sent back in with single-digit scores.
It was a disaster from which the Volts could not recover, despite a fighting 41 from ex-Aucklander Dale Phillips.
The southerners were rolled for just 113 in 36.3 overs, the Aces taking a bonus point win. Ter Braak finished with his best haul yet of 4-27 off eight, while Will Somerville took home 3-26.
