The Auckland Aces accounted for the Otago Volts with a 37 run win in their Men’s One-Day match at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland.
The challenging total of 283 was set up by solid top order batting with opener Reece Young making 40, English import Ravi Bopara 89 and Gareth Hopkins 70.
Bopara was full of running, only finding the boundary rope four times but maintaining a strike rate of over 85.
Otago pace bowler Anthony Bullick took three for 63 with Yasir Arafat and Neil Wagner snaring two apiece.
Otago didn’t start well, losing opener Hamish Rutherford for a duck and Neil Broom for three.
A 64 run partnership for the sixth wicket between Shaun Haig and Craig Cumming revived Otago’s hopes but once Cumming departed for 46 and Haig for 81 the momentum swung back Auckland’s way.
Ian Butler fought back with a hard hitting 46 but the wickets keep tumbling and they were eventually all out for 246.
It was a team effort with the ball by the Aces attack with Michael Bates, Richard Sherlock, Roni Hira and Singh rewarded with two wickets each.
Points table
| Place | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellington | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0.425 |
| 2 | Auckland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0.326 |
| 3 | Canterbury | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0.270 |
| 4 | Central | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -0.202 |
| 5 | Northern | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -0.375 |
| 6 | Otago | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -0.422 |
