A nailbiting victory by Canterbury over the Auckland Aces was just the early Christmas present injury-battered Northern Districts had wanted.
While quicks Kyle Jamieson and Ed Nuttall were ripping apart the Aucks in Rangiora, the young Northerners were busy holding on for a surprise draw in Napier — their first innings points just enough to keep them in the number one spot as red ball domestic cricket takes its annual midseason break.
Plunket Shield Points Table
ND — 52
Canterbury — 49
Wellington Firebirds — 47
Auckland Aces — 41
Central Stags — 28
Otago Volts — 23
A regular champion in recent seasons, Canterbury’s victory saw them leap from fourth to second on the points table, and the strong unit will fancy their chances of improving on that when the first-class warfare resumes on 25 February 2017 in Auckland (Colin Maiden Park), Wellington and Whangarei.
You get the feeling @CanterburyCrick weren't keen on losing 3 in a row to @aucklandcricket. Card | https://t.co/WocsTfaJkG #plunketshield pic.twitter.com/k5br5JkS0J
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 25, 2016
Both Canterbury and Northern showed their depth in the fifth round with the likes of debutants Jack Boyle (Canterbury), Henry Cooper (Northern); and Nick Kelly (better known for his McDonald’s Super Smash feats) stepping up with significant contributions.
Boyle’s story was one for the papers, having only found out at 9.45am on day one that he was required to make his first-class debut — when he was still in Christchurch. Cue a mad dash out to Rangiora to replace Michael Davidson, who had been concussed while taking throwdowns and practising against short balls just before the match.
The 20-year-old arrived to find out he was batting first, chucked on the pads and before he knew it, was weathering short balls from a seriously quick Lockie Ferguson. Boyle remarked afterwards that he had never experienced anything like Ferguson’s pace before, could hardly see the first couple of balls and has no idea how he lasted 23 balls!
His second innings was all the more impressive, reaching 81 after just over three hours at the crease in an opening stand of 167.
Boyle is not much younger than sky-scraping paceman Kyle Jamieson, who headed into round five with 13 wickets (which was at that time the sixth most by any bowler this season). His stunning career-best 8-74 and 11-160 for the match in Rangiora saw him leap to third on the season wickets table as the country’s most successful pace wicket-taker.
All 8 (YES 8) of Kyle Jamieson's wickets for @CanterburyCrick against @aucklandcricket in Rangiora. Innings figures 8-74. #plunketshield pic.twitter.com/1QBhJrMYMf
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 23, 2016
Jamieson, 21 — who is as tall as “two metre" Peter Fulton, if not a smidgen taller — broke through last summer with his maiden five-wicket bag and now has a memorable second.
Ahead of him are two spinners who seem to be having a competition within the competition with each other. Aces leg-spinner Tarun Nethula (26 wickets this season) and Stags off-spinner Ajaz Patel (25 wickets) have an uncanny knack of taking five-wicket-bags in the same round, even in the same match — as happened last year at Eden Park Outer Oval, where they both returned 10-or-more-wickets-in-a-match analyses, whilst playing each other.
The pair both now with three bags this season and it’s looking once again like it’s going to be odds on for a spinner on top of the table by the end of the summer — Ajaz Patel having taken the honours last season.
The leading batsman at the halfway point meanwhile remains Firebirds opener Luke Woodcock with 446 runs at an average of 89.20, remarkably so since he had curtailed opportunities in the last round in Dunedin and didn’t get at all in Wellington in round four, where the game was called off due to frequent aftershocks in the capital.
Is Ajaz Patel the man to bowl the @CentralStags to a #plunketshield win in Napier? He has form in the match. Card | https://t.co/CpBpJ5ug69 pic.twitter.com/77cmcdUcVb
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 24, 2016
The New Zealand domestic season now switches to white ball mode — McDonald’s Super Smash followed by the one-day Ford Trophy — until the battle for the historic Plunket Shield resumes.
MID-SEASON REPORT CARD
MOST RUNS
MOST WICKETS
NUMBER OF PLAYERS UTILISED
Wellington Firebirds 13
Central Stags 15
Canterbury 16
Otago Volts 16
Auckland Aces 16
Northern Districts 18
