Martin Guptill dominated on day one | PHOTOSPORT

Gup-ton! Oh-Donnell! Big twin centuries in top-of-the-table clash

Posted Sunday, 6 March, 2022 in Match Reports

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SPLIT ROUND: THIRD GAME FOR ACES, FIFTH GAME FOR CANTERBURY

AUCKLAND ACES BEAT CANTERBURY BY 224 RUNS

 

Kennards Hire Community Oval, Auckland

3-6 March, 2022

SCORES

Toss: Aces who batted

Total points this round: Auckland Aces 20, Canterbury: 3

Selected Milestones

Zak Foulkes: first-class debut

Martin Guptill: 17th first-class century (9th for Auckland Aces) and 3000th first-class run for Aces

Robbie O'Donnell: 6th first-class century

Robbie O'Donnell: career best score, first double ton in first-class cricket

Simon Keene - second first-class five-wicket bag (in his second match)

DAY FOUR

With the Aces in charge, Canterbury had a big fight in front of them if they were to stave off outright defeat.

Resuming an overcast final morning at 81/2 in their second innings, the visitors were still 397 runs away from saving face.

Within the first hour, that had slipped to 97/5, with Aces up and comer Simon Keene - the man who had taken a five-for on debut just a few weeks earlier in Dunedin - now on the cusp of another bag.

Keene suddenly had 4-23 off his first 14 overs, overnight batsman Zak Foulkes caught behind and Leo Carter caught behind.

Ben Lister had meanwhile accounted for Jack Boyle.

By lunch, Canterbury may have lost their appetite: on the brink, now, at 153/7 after 80 overs.

Rookie Keene indeed got another bag in his brilliant start to his career,: a beautiful in-swinger getting a touch from Cam Fletcher who was caught behind.

Once again in this match, it was Henry Shipley with the runs and resistance for Canterbury, batting at seven. He added another half century in the middle session, to go with his top score in the first innings: just his fourth and fifth half centuries at this level.

Golden arm Glenn Phillips did it again, taking his fifth wicket of the campaign to trap Shipley on 70 - with some 42 overs left in the day.

The Canterbury tail wagged with Will Williams (37 not out) and Andrew Hazeldine (34) sharing a 38-run stand but the end was nigh, and with it a sixth wicket for Keene (6-44) and second for Lister as the unbeaten Aces handed Canterbury their first loss of the campaign.

DAY THREE

After bowling out Canterbury for 200 on the nose just before lunch, the Auckland Aces' first innings lead was a mere 349.

Canterbury's score meant they had scraped in for a batting bonus point, after some fight from their lower order - but the Aces were meanwhile well on their way to a full 20-pointer.

Henry Shipley's half century at seven (61) was the visitors' top score, before Ben Lister (3-31) picked up his third wicket.

After a 52-run stand with Leo Carter, Shipley had stuck around for much needed little partnerships with Theo van Woerkom, Will Williams and Andrew Hazeldine, too, across his three-hour knock.

But Canterbury was so far in arrears that the cat was merely toying with the mouse, Glenn Phillips snaffling 2-18 before the Aces batted again.

O'Donnell declared for the second time in two days at 131 for two, after 15 entertaining overs. Long enough for Glenn Phillips to bash an unbeaten 57* off 31 balls.

Martin Guptill had blasted two sixes in his 36 before becoming a maiden first-class wicket for debutant Zak Foulkes; George Worker another, and Phillips four, for good measure. Quick runs, assertive batting.

That left Canterbury a daunting chase of 479 with the best part of a day and half to survive. By stumps, they had scored 82 of those, but at a cost of two wickets, Simon Keene picking up both Ken McClure and Cole McConchie.

Debutant Foulkes will resume the last morning on 35* while the Aces have lost Sean Solia from the attack, replaced by Will O'Donnell as a substitute for the back half of the match.

DAY TWO

Another strong day for the Auckland Aces saw them holding all the cards at the midpoint of the top-of-the-table clash.

Captain Robbie O'Donnell had begun the day on 160 not out, needing just a handful of runs for his career best first-class score.

He did that, and then some - going on to his first first-class double century.

O'Donnell now had Sean Solia (33) for support in a good sixth-wicket stand as he reached the double hundred off 338 balls, after 420 minutes, with 20 boundaries and seven sixes on his home turf.

He would reach 223 before finally slogging a catch to his opposing skipper, with his side by this stage sitting on an imposing 521 for eight.

A brisk 28 from Ollie Pringle saw that total extended to 547/9 before O'Donnell declared, early in the middle session.

Canterbury clearly was faced with a psychological challenge against that weight of runs, and did exactly what they needed not to do.

Ben Lister struck in the third over, then Aces newbie Simon Keene ended Canterbury debutant Zak Foulkes' first knock on three, after battling 26 deliveries.

A big blow came in the 18th as Sean Solia trapped Cole McConchie at 33/3, and from there another cluster of wickets had Canterbury quickly on the back foot.

By stumps, the Aces had Canterbury in a real spot at 135/7, still trailing by 412 on the first dig. Solia sat on 3-17 overnight and the impressive left-armer Lister 2-19.

DAY ONE

From a position of 87/3 on the first morning, the Auckland Aces set about grinding Canterbury's attack into the Sandringham dirt after a monumental stand for the fourth wicket.

Opening batsman Martin Guptill was pivotal in leading the way forward.

He made a good start to the game in a 61-run opening stand with George Worker - who contributed only nine runs as Guptill made all the headway, and notched up his first 50 for the day.

Worker became second change Henry Shipley's first victim of a quick triple strike that also removed Glenn Phillips for just a single and the in-form Mark Chapman for 11.

The latter batsmen were both caught behind in a wobbly little episode for the Aces as captain Robbie O'Donnell headed to the middle in the 23rd over, and stuck around for the rest of the day.

It would the start of a long day in the dirt for Canterbury who went on to lose Shipley from the attack, after  a hamstring injury.

Guptill and O'Donnell piled on 278 for the fourth wicket, a new milestone in matches between these two sides.

Guptill was the first two three figures in 124 balls (16x4, 1x6), in the middle session. He was in no mood to stop there.

The pair headed in for tea at 203/3, with O'Donnell chalking up 50 after the break, and going on to raise his hundred in perfect style.

The captain really cracked on in the last session, seeing out the day unbeaten on 160* (just eight shy, now, of a new career best).

The Aces were 403/4 by stumps, but they had lost Guptill in spectacular fashion - to a brilliant tumbling catch from Ken McClure at second slip, off Fraser Sheat, when Guptill was in sight of what would have been his first double century for the Aces.

He would have to settle for 195 off 212 balls, including 24 boundaries and five sixes, for his day's work.

The Aces pocketed the full set of batting bonuses and will begin day two in position to dictate terms, with Ben Horne unbeaten on 14*.

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