Hamish Rutherford. Image: Photosport

Charging up at Uni Oval

Posted Tuesday, 8 November, 2016 in Match Reports

DAY FOUR

End of match — Central Stags 266/7 (Ajaz Patel career best 45, Mitch Renwick 48, Tom Bruce 55, Christian Leopard career best 31 not out) drew with the Otago Volts at University of Otago Oval on 8 November 2016

Video scorecard

After a delayed start, Neil Wagner wasted little time in continuing his wicket-taking revelry — swinging in to claim the Stags’ remaining opening batsman Greg Hay in the just second over of the morning.

It was exactly the scenario the beleagured Stags had been hoping to avoid. However, nightwatchman Ajaz Patel (2* overnight) would pull out a career-best 45 in the face of an increasingly steamed-up Volts' pace attack, and would put on 86 with Mitch Renwick (48) for the third wicket — before the duo fell in quick succession to Jimmy Neesham for his first two strikes in the innings.

Will Young (27) and a breezy Tom Bruce continued steadying a rocky ship for the Stags through the middle session and had stretched the recovery to 192/4 at tea, by which point a further 208 was still required at an asking rate of almost nine runs per over.

Any latent thoughts of a shock victory took a hit soon after the resumption, however, when Neesham picked up his third wicket in Bruce (55 off 65 balls), before Wagner’s prodigious movement trapped Young lbw soon afterwards, the total having advanced by just two runs in the interim.

The Stags needed to dig deep after an otherwise fairly disastrous match, and now it was down to the tail after they found themselves seven down with Dane Cleaver gone just 10 overs later.

The experience of Doug Bracewell was combined with youthful debutant Christian Leopard as they shut down the shop in the last session, but they held out handsomely, Leopard rapidly reaching his best-yet of 31 not out while Bracewell (26*) batted for an hour before the match was declared a draw shortly after 6pm.



Wagner would need to be content with six wickets for the match, while the two sides remain the only teams yet to register an outright after the first three rounds. The Volts now head to one of their other home venues in Invercargill to host a smarting Canterbury, while the Stags fly to the Basin Reserve for the next round, starting Monday 14 November. All sides will be looking a little different with a number of leading players off to play Pakistan for New Zealand A in Nelson instead.

DAY THREE

Central Stags 7/1 in the second innings require 393 runs to beat the Otago Volts 213/7 declared (Hamish Rutherford 110, Brad Wilson 41, Ajaz Patel 3-94). Earlier: Central Stags 216 all out in the first innings (Tom Bruce 83, Dane Cleaver 50, Doug Bracewell 42 not out; Neil Wagner 3-38) at University of Otago Oval, Dunedin on 7 November 2016

First innings batting bonus points, Volts 4, Stags 1
First innings bowling bonus points, Stags 4, Volts 4

The winless Central Stags face a stiff final day’s work if they are to stop the Otago Volts from claiming their first outright of the season.

Scorecard

Both sides hunting their first win, the sun shone brightly on Uni Oval as the Stags’ lively pair of Tom Bruce and Dane Cleaver looked to continue their positive start in the morning session. Bruce’s 83 would prove the highlight of their first innings, and their 112-run stand for the fifth wicket certainly helped the Stags out of a deep hole.

Bruce’s 50 was typically raised with a boundary, off Jacob Duffy, and had arrived in just 73 balls, which seemed almost insolent in the earlier context of the innings. The 100-run stand came quickly after from just 114 minutes together. Cleaver then reached his half century, a trio of sixes and quartet of fours among his runs.

But when Cleaver was caught for exactly 50 off Christi Viljoen, regular wickets began to take their toll again.

Joining Bruce, BLACKCAP Doug Bracewell produced an unbeaten 42 in the middle session to help add some more ballast to the scoreboard. He tonked up the Stags’ 150 with a six, but after Bruce’s dismissal he lacked support as the Stags’ tail withered and fell around him after lunch —  all out for 216 in the 79th over, handing the Volts a first-innings lead of 186. Just a slightly less deep hole, perhaps.

Volts keeper Derek de Boorder claimed five dismissals in the innings — four catches and a stumping, while BLACKCAP Neil Wagner was the most ferocious wicket-taker with 3-38.

Hamish Rutherford’s 10th first-class century (110 off 107, and his seventh for the Volts in Plunket Shield cricket) at better than run-a-ball pace then put the Volts in a position to declare their second innings at 213/7 after just 39.3 boundary-spanking overs, setting the Stags a target of exactly 400 to win.

Rutherford and prodigious captain Brad Wilson had shared a 101-run stand for the first wicket — but the Stags did strike back with regular breakthroughs. Neil Broom joined Rutherford when the latter was on 84, and did not get to linger after being given out to Bracewell despite the terraces insisting that he hit it. Jimmy Neesham’s departure then took it to 172/4.

After finally accounting for Rutherford, left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel (3-94) went on to put himself on an unconverted hat-trick with the wickets of heavy first-innings run-makers Josh Finnie and Anaru Kitchen, both caught on single figures, this time, in the action-packed 37th over.

The declaration led to the Stags batting for the second time in the day, but in the nine remaining overs they had already lost a wicket at 7/1 before stumps were called, still trailing by 393. Predictably Wagner had made the breakthrough, dismissing opener Ben Smith cheaply for the second time in the match. Nightwatchman Ajaz Patel joined Greg Hay to see it through until tomorrow.

DAY TWO

At stumps — Central Stags 80/4 (Tom Bruce 36 not out; Neil Wagner 3-17) trail the Otago Volts 402 all out (Anaru Kitchen 133, Derek de Boorder 45*) by 322 runs at University of Otago Oval, Dunedin on 6 November 2016

First innings batting bonus points, Volts 4 (maximum achieved), Stags 0 (in progress)
First innings bowling bonus points, Stags 4 (maximum achieved), Volts 1 (in progress)

The action began early on day two as Anaru Kitchen added just nine runs to his overnight total before chopping on, his seventh first-class century ending at 133 in his first innings of the season for the Volts.

The hosts weren’t done, however, with the stickability of former opener Derek de Boorder still in place. Indeed, a stubborn last-wicket stand between de Boorder (45 not out) and Jacob Duffy would cost the Stags an extra 43 runs before Duffy was finally trapped lbw —  the last wicket giving Christian Leopard his maiden first-class victim, the wickets otherwise shared by the attack.

Video scorecard

The Volts were all out for 402 inside the morning session, therefore, but the Stags were about to have the tables turned on them and then some.

BLACKCAP Neil Wagner fired up to blast out three quick wickets and, with Duffy’s capable assistance at the other end, it was a miserable start for the visitors as they found themselves staring at a scoreboard that read 22/4.

Torrid Wagner has removed Ben Smith with a wicket maiden in the 13th over, before claiming the wickets of both Mitch Renwick and scoreless Will Young with a double strike in the 17th over, both batsmen caught behind.

Jacob Duffy had meanwhile removed Greg Hay, also in a wicket maiden.

At 22 for four, new batsmen Tom Bruce and Dane Cleaver found themselves thrown together at the crease on zero, the camp in shock, but the two strokemakers would make a positive start on a recovery.

The pair had put on 58 runs before rain before tea closed proceedings for the day; the Stags making it to 80/4 thanks to their efforts.

Bruce had reached 36* off 53, Cleaver 22* off 52 while Wagner lurked sitting on still superb numbers of 10-5-17-3 — including his 250th first-class wicket for the Volts.

The forecast for day three is largely fine, presenting a golden opportunity for one of these sides to get in the winner’s column.

DAY ONE

At stumps — Otago Volts 326/6 (Brad Wilson 40, Josh Finnie career best 98, Anaru Kitchen 124 not out; Doug Bracewell 3-58) at University of Otago Oval, Dunedin on 5 November 2016

First innings batting bonus points, Otago Volts 3 (in progress)
First innings bowling bonus points, Central Stags 2 (in progress)

While weather conspired to delay all three starts across New Zealand, only in Dunedin did it result in the captain electing to bat first. And why not, when you’re the Volts and two of your top order are averaging over 100 for the season?

Scorecard

An early contest, then, between Hamish Rutherford and returning BLACKCAP Doug Bracewell, but it was left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel — already leading the wickets column this season after having topped everyone last summer — who made the initial breakthrough with his third over, trapping Rutherford before the Otago 50 was on the board.

After having missed the first two rounds with a broken little finger, Michael Bracewell therefore got  chance to get his season underway after drinks, and with a boundary no less — but it would prove a short comeback after he lashed at Blair Tickner.

Nineteen-year-old allrounder Christian Leopard came in on Central Stags debut to get in his first over of Plunket Shield cricket before lunch, the hosts 70 for two at the break with the calming Brad Wilson set on 33.

Three wickets in the following session, however, would ensure the Volts didn’t get to build a platform, this time. Neil Broom would send Leopard his first catch at square leg, then — much to Doug Bracewell’s pleasure, Jimmy Neesham paddled a full toss to Ben Smith: two big, cheap wickets.

Then the Stags struck again when Wilson took a Bracewell yorker on the toes, a loud and successful appeal seeing the Volts’ rock depart on 40.


At 101/5, fresh faces 19-year-old Josh Finnie and a returning Anaru Kitchen had a rescue mission on their hands, but they would expand their stand to tea and beyond — matching each other almost stroke for stroke as it steadily gathered steam.

Kitchen was the first to post his half century after the break, off 67 balls; Finnie soon after off 90; albeit getting lucky with a top edge off Nav Patel.

After chalking their 150-run stand, the pair would both move into the 90s — but then, a tragedy for Finnie, his maiden ton denied as Bracewell exerted his influence again and trapped him on 98.

Kitchen, on 90* at the time, quickly averted his gaze, their record 182-run 6th-wicket stand against the Stags at an end with just a dozen overs left in the afternoon.

It was long enough for Kitchen himself to go on to his first first-class ton for the Otago Volts — his seventh overall, spading a no-ball over the rope to post his own milestone and the Volts’ 300. He backed that up with consecutive boundaries as well off Nav Patel to celebrate.

By stumps, the Volts had restored things well enough to be 326/6, Kitchen unbeaten on 124.

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