Devon Hotel Central Stags 94 all out in 19.1 overs (Andy Ellis 5-17, Hamish Bennett 3-29) lost to Canterbury Wizards 97-0 in 15.2 overs (George Worker 46*, Tom Latham 50*) by ten wickets at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Hagley Oval recovered from the flooding earlier in the week, but the Devon Hotel Central Stags batsmen crashed to 94 all out in the 20th over, then had to watch as Tom Latham and George Worker got the Canterbury Wizards home for the loss of no wickets.
Hamish Bennett and Ryan McCone put pressure on the Stags straightaway and were rewarded with wickets, before Andy Ellis entered the attack and produced a purple patch of bowling. Ellis ran riot through the Stags lower-middle order, taking five wickets for just 17 runs in the five overs he bowled. Bennett returned to wrap up the tail, and the innings scorecard made ugly reading for Stags fans, as their innings ended on 94 in the 20th over.
Any demons in the pitch disappeared at lunchtime, as George Worker and Tom Latham were able to run down the low target in the 16th over for no wickets. Worker finished on 46, Latham on 50 to give their team a ten wicket win and lift the Wizards to third on the table, with the best net run rate in the comp.
