BHARAT POPLI ACHIEVES ELITE MILESTONE
SKYCITY Northern Knights batsman Bharat Popli today joined Martin Crowe, Jeff Crowe, Graeme Hicks and Michael Papps in the elite group of men to have scored 1000 runs in a New Zealand first-class season.
The unassuming 25-year-old from Bay of Plenty achieved the mark at Hagley Oval when he reached 32 in the second innings. With another possible two innings to come this summer, Popli is not done; and is unbeaten on 36 overnight, having helped the Knights build a 130-run lead over embattled defending champions Canterbury.
Canterbury v SKYCITY Northern Knights at Hagley Oval
Scorecard
First innings batting bonus points, Knights: 0 (completed), Canterbury 2 (completed)
First innings bowling bonus points: Canterbury 4 (completed), Knights 4 (completed).
Other Milestones
Zak Gibson: career best First-Class bowling 4-62
Brett Hampton: career best First-Class bowling 4-78
Hamish Bennett: 150th First-Class wicket for Canterbury when he dismissed Daniel Flynn
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Wellington Firebirds v Mondiale Auckland Aces at the Basin Reserve
The Aucklanders are holding all the aces in this Plunket Shield, and are looking to clinch the competition tomorrow with a round to spare.
Familiar figures helped drive the table-topping Aces into a formidable position today. The Aces lead by 459 in the second innings with three wickets in hand heading into the final day, after openers Michael Guptill-Bunce (who scored his second first-class century, both this year, with a career best 189) and Jeet Raval (90) put on an Aces record against the Firebirds, breaking a mark that had stood since the 1920s.
Scorecard
Milestones
On 17 Michael Guptill-Bunce reached 1000 first-class runs
Previous best opening stand for Auckland v Wellington was 201 by A Anthony & E Horspool 1924/25
Michael Guptill-Bunce: career best first-class score. Previous best 112 this season at Eden Park.
On 15 Brad Cachopa reached 2000 first-class runs for Auckland
On 7 Colin de Grandhomme reached 4000 first-class runs
Mark Chapman (73) career best first-class score
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SBS Bank Otago Volts v Devon Hotel Central Stags at University Oval
Only pride at stake in this wooden-spoon clash, but the Stags lead by 254 runs with four wickets in hand. Stags seamer Navin Patel earlier took his maiden five-wicket bag.
Scorecard
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All Plunket Shield matches are free entry and livescored at www.blackcaps.co.nz
