THREE
Number of teams left in the 2017 Ford Trophy. Three becomes two at the Basin Reserve tomorrow where the Wellington Firebirds and Central Stags play off in the sudden death Elimination Final, starting 11am. It’s a rematch between the two McDonald’s Super Smash grand finalists so expect the Stags to be out for payback while the Firebirds want to set things right after having been the top qualifier. The Wellington weather has been told to play ball.
TWO
Number of wins standing between the Central Stags and lifting The Ford Trophy for three seasons in a row. Having been last on the table with two rounds to go and with half their regular players in the hospital tent, the Stags have stormed through their last three must-win matches but won’t be thinking about the Final just yet.
23
Seasons since the last time any side did a Ford Trophy three-peat. That was Canterbury, who won the title in 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1994/95 with a star-stacked side.
11
Number of years since Canterbury has won The Ford Trophy, a fact of which Andrew Ellis and his men are keenly aware after having lost the Grand Final to the Stags last season, despite a century from their skipper. They’re now in the box seat to break the title drought, having secured the home 2017 Grand Final at Rangiora this Saturday 18 February. If you can’t make it to Rangiora, great news — you can watch history go down live on SKY Sport.
Celebrating a home final. PHOTOSPORT
27
Margin of victory, by runs, as Canterbury booked themselves a home 2017 Grand Final. They outdid the Firebirds at Hagley Oval on the weekend to make sure of it, opener Chad Bowes top-scoring with his career best 83.
574
Number of runs scorching Stags opening batsman George Worker has racked up from just nine innings. The top run-scorer in the comp, the only batsman with more than 500 runs, owner of the highest individual score with 181 which isn’t even his career best. Average 82. Strike rate almost 100. 63 boundaries (18 more than next-best Sean Solia) and 12 sixes. Also the fourth-equal top wicket-taker in the competition with 12 and career best four-fors in two consecutive games at Pukekura Park.
There goes one of Worker's dozen sixes as the Stags knocked out ND
SIX
Number of century partnerships in the 2017 Ford Trophy in which George Worker has featured. There have been 16 century stands in all so far this season and the Stags have put together exactly half of them — Worker doing the bizzo twice with Will Young and Jesse Ryder, and once with Tom Bruce and Dane Cleaver. Young/Bruce and Kieran Noema-Barnett/Ben Wheeler produced the other Stags standout stands.
18
Number of sixes by brutal Tom Bruce, most of them straight down the ground in the last two matches at his home ground of Pukekura Park, where the T20 BLACKCAP slammed his maiden List A century on Saturday off just 79 balls (6 x 4, 8 x 6). His dad caught one of the sixes up in the terraces which shouldn’t have been too surprising because Bruce junior has also taken more catches than anyone else this season (eight). Good hands.
4000
Number of List A runs for Luke Ronchi who ticked off the career milestone during his innings of 63, the top score in reply. The Firebirds have now lost him back to the BLACKCAPS, however, against South Africa.
38
The birthday number Wellington Firebirds captain Hamish Marshall will be celebrating when he leads his team into the crunch Elimination Final at the Basin this Wednesday. Obviously not the only thing the popular former BLACKCAP is planning to celebrate tomorrow.
