ROUND 10 of 10
OTAGO VOLTS defeated WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS by 8 wickets - bonus point win
18 February 2024
Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown
Points: Otago Volts 5, Wellington Firebirds 0
SELECTED MILESTONES
Wellington Firebirds lowest List A total (57)
Luke Georgeson (5/11): List A Career Best Bowling
Luke Georgeson: Second List A bag (both for Otago Volts this season)
Ollie Newton : Final appearance (all formats) for Wellington Firebirds
PHOTOSPORT
An amazing back half of the one-day summer continued for the Otago Volts who blasted into The Ford Trophy Elimination Final with a fourth consecutive win.
Not only that, but the former cellar dweller in this comp will now host the Auckland Aces in that Dunedin knockout on Wednesday, with the winner to meet Canterbury for the trophy on Saturday at Hagley.
In this game, the Volts made short work of it, the final round of the regular season in Queenstown against the Firebirds - who were already out of the running, and now at the foot of the table themselves.
The Firebirds chose to bat first, but the Volts simply blew the Firebirds off the park.
The Wellingtonians were quickly all out for 57, the lowest total in the history of the competition by any team.
Luke Georgeson, bowling a good length, claimed a second list A five-wicket bag in the space of three games, helped by Matt Bacon's 3/21.
Andrew Hazeldine had struck first at 13/1, then Jacob Duffy swung in for a second wicket, two balls later.
Georgeson didn't come on until the 11th over at 27/2, but had a near-immediate impact - striking with his third delivery to get Troy Johnson caught.
Wellington captain Nick Kelly was his next victim in a wicket maiden, then he claimed the dangerous allrounders - Logan van Beek and Nathan Smith - in a double hit in the 17th, by which time the Firebirds were in a real heap at 42/7.
Georgeson finished the job in just 22.3 overs wheh he had Peter Younghusband easily caught, for figures of 6.3-2-11-5 - and leaving the Firebirds with an unwanted new record.
The previous lowest score in the Ford Trophy was held by the Central Stags, who were out for 58 at the Cello Basin Reserve in 2001/02.
The Volts were never going to leave a bonus point behind after that, and Georgeson opened the batting to contribute 27 himself - more than half the runs they needed.
His teammates chased it down in just 9.5 overs, Firebirds paceman Ollie Newton finishing with one last wicket - that of Jacob Cumming, his 65th in List A cricket - before hanging up his boots, having announced his retirement before the game.
The innings had opened with both teams clapping Newton onto the field through a guard of honour, but it was some way to finish: powerless to stop the Volts from creating history.
