DAY FOUR
A dramatic draw would conclude round five of the Plunket Shield, brought to you by Budget Rental — in which the SBS Bank Otago Volts produced a shock first win, and the Mondiale Auckland Aces thumped the Wellington Firebirds by an innings to take over the leaderboard at the halfway point in the first-class competition.
The dramatic draw was at Saxton Oval where late rain saved the Devon Hotel Central Stags when they were dangling at nine wickets down — although the way their injured number eleven Seth Rance was batting with his captain, having tonked consecutive fours (either side of tea) off what would prove the last two balls, the Stags may argue they were in sight of the last 98 runs needed to pick up what would have been their first outright of the season.
Ironically the Ford Trophy champions now remain the only winless team.
Canterbury owned the morning. Photosport
The Stags had started the final day at a promising 112/1, requiring 264 to nail their first win of the season.
But the first session was all Canterbury's, George Worker's dismissal giving super slipper Peter Fulton his 100th first-class catch for Canterbury.
Fellow Canterbury veteran Andrew Ellis would later collect his fifth first-class five-wicket bag from the innings.
Spot Peter Fulton's treasured cap in the slips
Greg Hay had been the first to depart, off the first delivery of the morning. By lunchtime, the Stags had lost four key men from the first session to be five down, and needing a hero.
Breakthrough: Todd Astle was elated to have opener Ben Smith caught on 78
Unfortunately it turned out to be the weatherman.
The weather turns up
Light rain interrupted when the Stags were 204/5, needing another 172, Will Young on 42.
By the time rain stopped play again, shortly before an early tea was called mid-over, captain Young was still holding up the torch, repeating his dress rehearsal from the first innings, unbeaten on 66 looking to get them home on his own, if he had to.
But now Canterbury was just one wicket away from glory — while Young's Stags remained 102 runs in arrears.
They got back on in time for exactly one more ball after tea, and that ball turned out to be Canterbury's last chance.
Seth Rance hit it for four, and then the match was called off, the Stags therefore scraping out of their predicament with a draw.
DAY THREE
Stumps score: Devon Hotel Central Stags 112/1 (Ben Smith 65*, Greg Hay 34*, second innings) require 264 for victory. Earlier: Canterbury 339 all out (second innings; Leo Carter 82, Chad Bowes 33, Cole McConchie 30, Andy Ellis 63, Cameron Fletcher 36; Ajaz Patel 6 for 152)
Round five is rapidly becoming the round of the young guns thanks to a number of notable performances from first-class rising stars across the country — nowhere more so than in Nelson where the match is intriguingly poised heading into tomorrow's final day.
Canterbury's second dig of 339 today was spearheaded by 82 from 21-year-old opener Leo Carter, against a Devon Hotel Central Stags attack critically missing its injured senior seamer (Seth Rance hobbled out early in the first innings).
Yet the band of Stags part-timers that helped cover for him did well, while the star of the show was their left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel whose marathon effort of 39.5 overs and return of six for 152 could not have come at a more heroic time for his side.
Ajaz "Jazzy" Patel thanks the pitch after his third five-wicket bag. Photosport
It was Patel's third first-class five-wicket bag, and was delivered at a cost of 3.82 per over.
The Stags have got their second innings chase off to a much better start, having overcome an early wicket to clamber to 112/1 at stumps.
Ben Smith is unbeaten on a patient 65 (undaunted by being pinged on the helmet), first drop Greg Hay assisting with 34 overnight to have the team requiring a further 264 on the last day if they are to nail their first win of the Plunket Shield season.
Earlier, Canterbury opener Carter had added just six to his overnight score of 76 before driving Ajaz Patel to mid-off in the fourth over of the morning, but Andy Ellis provided some of his customary Canterbury gristle in Carter’s stead — and audaciously whacked up his fifty with a six over long on, also off Patel.
Left-armer Patel was persistent, and snapped back by bowling Ellis on 63 to have the Cantabrians down to 307 for seven.
The wicket also put paid to a useful 65-run partnership with wicketkeeper Cameron Fletcher, who was then caught on 36 to secure Patel’s five-wicket bag.
Tim Johnston walloped 24 runs off just 14 balls in the tail, but all up Canterbury will have been left disappointed not to have punished the wounded Stags further, the door now open to either side on the last day, in a game of who dares wins.
DAY TWO
Stumps score: Canterbury 171/3 (second innings, Leo Carter 76 not out) leads by 207 runs at Saxton Oval. Earlier, Devon Hotel Central Stags 168 all out in 67.2 overs (Will Young 84; Kyle Jamieson 5-47 maiden first-class five-wicket bag)
The battle of Saxton Oval turned into the battle of the young guns on day two, as Canterbury’s 21-year-old, six-foot-eight pace bowler Kyle Jamieson fought with the Stags’ 23-year-old captain Will Young for ascendancy.
In the end, the judges would have given it to Jamieson, after he smashed through the Stags for his maiden first-class bag: a tidy five for 47.
It's the young guns on fire so far in round five. Photosport
Young, meanwhile, held his head high as fellow batsmen fell to the ground all around him, rustling up his 2000th first-class run as he tried to hold the Stags’ innings together on his own.
The number four would survive on the battleground for two and a half hours for an important 84 runs, before he was stumped off legspinner Todd Astle.
Canterbury keeper Cam Fletcher completes the stumping and the innings. Photosport
The major problem for the Stags was not that their captain had missed a shot at a century, but that he had had precious little support against the relentless Cantabrians.
The next highest score had been opener Dean Robinson’s 29 atop a scorecard littered with ducks. The youthful pace duo of Jamieson and Logan van Beek wrapped things up on just 168, the exciting Jamieson zeroing in on the tailenders for the last two wickets he needed for the landmark five-for.
The gutted Young was then the last to depart and it was just the recovery that Canterbury had ordered after having been dismissed on day one for 204.
To add insult to grievous wounds, Canterbury’s young opener Leo Carter then made batting look a relative cinch, both himself and his team well poised by stumps. Carter had 76 overnight heading into day three, and Canterbury a lead of 207.
They had, however, lost three wickets as the back-up crew of part-timers Tom Bruce, Ben Smith and George Worker helped plug the gap left by important injured seamer Seth Rance.
Bruce took two useful wickets in Peter Fulton and debutant Chad Bowes (stumped), but the partnerships had not been blocked early, and the situation looks difficult for the hosts.
DAY ONE
Stumps score: Devon Hotel Central Stags 52/3 (Kyle Jamieson 2-31) trail by 152. Earlier, Canterbury 204 all out in 66.1 overs (Peter Fulton 89; Navin Patel career best 4-37)
Saxton sunshine shone on Canterbury captain Peter Fulton as he drew 89 runs closer to the rare and impending milestone of 10,000 first-class career runs. If he reaches the milestone, he will be the first to do so for Canterbury.
But until a late flurry of revenge wickets, there was little else shining for the red and black visitors at Nelson’s stunning venue on day one of the round five clash in the Plunket Shield, brought to you by Budget Rental.
The winless Stags’ Birmingham-born paceman Navin Patel was playing just his third match for the Stags, and his first at Saxton. He would enjoy the occasion as he opened the attack with Seth Rance, and then led the way with four key wickets for his day’s work, a career best haul to date.
Stags skipper Will Young had put Canterbury in, and his side made good strides in reducing Canterbury to 141/7. Moreover, they’d had to do it after losing the relentless performer that is Rance, who had pulled up lame just 4.1 overs into his opening spell.
It was not one, but two Patels to the rescue as spinner Ajaz Patel (no relation) kept it tight at the other end as Blair Tickner (who picked up 2-48) and Navin Patel shared the pace workload.
Navin Patel stepped into the breach with a career best. Photosport
Fulton towered above an otherwise shaky first Canterbury innings, bar a lively, if quick, show from young allrounder Logan van Beek who punched 23 off just 20 balls just before tea in a 44-run stand with his captain.
Van Beek's wicket after the break, when Canterbury was 185/7, with Fulton still trucking on 87, ushered in the doom of the first dig. Fulton himself became the last man to depart with the score on 204 when he was caught at deep midwicket, having hit eight fours and a six.
But Canterbury quickly put smiles back on their faces by stumps, ripping through the top three Stags wickets to have them three down — Dean Robinson (26), Ben Smith and Greg Hay all back in the pavilion.
Will Young was unbeaten on four overnight with nightwatchman Ajaz Patel yet to score.
For Canterbury Michael Davidson is making his first-class debut in the match, while former South Africa Under-19s player Chad Bowes is on his Canterbury and Plunket Shield debut.
