DAY FOUR
Canterbury 186 all out (Ish Sodhi 3-66) lost to Northern Districts by 21 runs at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 8 November 2016
A stunning Ish Sodhi catch has secured Northern Districts a second outright Plunket Shield win over Canterbury this season.
Ish Sodhi celebrates his match winning catch with Daryl Mitchell. Image:Photosport
ND claimed victory by 21 runs — but the game looked in the balance as Henry Shipley led a valiant last-wicket stand alongside Ed Nuttall.
The pair had added 33 for the last wicket, turning a seemingly long shot of victory into a realistic possibility as they inched closer to outright points.
However, Shipley’s luck ran out when he attempted to put James Baker over the short square leg boundary. Straddling the boundary rope, Sodhi leapt to snare the ball with his left hand, tumbling onto his back yet staying in the field of play.
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Earlier, ND had looked assured of victory when they had removed the overnight pair of Cam Fletcher and Kyle Jamieson in quick succession.
Canterbury's Cam Fletcher leaves the wicket. Image: Photosport
The Northern seam bowling attack decided to follow a short-pitched plan, the lanky Jamieson rattled on the helmet as he tried to dodge a barrage from Tim Southee and Scott Kuggeleijn.
However, after battling through to 27, Fletcher eventually took the bait, getting a top edge trying to hook Southee. Wicketkeeper Tim Seifert leapt to get a hand to it, then dove backward to claim a splendid catch — sprawling to snare it inches off the ground with his left glove.
Jamieson followed Fletcher back to the sheds next over, feathering an edge off Sodhi through to Seifert and leaving Shipley and Nuttall with a hefty task to rescue a result.
The impressive Shipley lived dangerously in compiling his 26, while Nuttall equalled his career high score with an unbeaten 11.
But just as a remarkable run chase had looked possible, Sodhi ensured the win with the catch of his career to date.
Celebrations ensued, as Northern Districts earned 16 points for the win — provisionally securing a spot atop the table, where they will remain unless there is an outright result later today in the clash between the Wellington Firebirds and Auckland Aces.
Sodhi claimed 3-66 to finish with seven wickets for the match, the same as Southee. Baker and Kuggeleijn finished with two wickets apiece in the second innings.
Ish Sodhi celebrates a Canterbury wicket. Image: Photosport
The contest ended one of the most bowler-dominated encounters in years, with no batsman making a half century.
Forty wickets fell for 617 runs — the fewest runs in any Plunket Shield match in which 40 wickets fell since 2002, when the Auckland Aces and Central Stags combined for 606 runs.
Canterbury will look to bounce back when they visit Invercargill to play the Otago Volts on Monday, while ND will play host to the Aces at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
DAY THREE
Canterbury 130/7 (Michael Davidson 45) requires 78 runs to beat Northern Districts; at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 7 November 2016
Scorecard
A brief wicket-taking spurt has put Northern Districts in the box seat to conquer Canterbury after a rain-interrupted Day Three of their Plunket Shield encounter.
Only 22.3 overs were available on another rainy day in Hamilton, Canterbury slumping from 84/2 to 130/7 in their pursuit of 208 for an outright victory.
The day started at 1.50pm, and Canterbury failed to push on after their impressive start to their run chase. Ken McClure departed in the third over of the day, feathering a ball from Corey Anderson through to Tim Seifert.
In what has become a trend in this contest, the game’s balance then shifted significantly with two double strikes.
Opener Michael Davidson had battled for 167 minutes for his game-high 45, but Ish Sodhi trapped him lbw — then two balls later Tim Southee gave Andy Ellis the same treatment with a devastating yorker, reducing Canterbury to 103 for five.
☔️, wickets and boundaries. Stumps after an eventful #plunketshield afternoon at Seddon Park. Card | https://t.co/nBFh5ZDM2J pic.twitter.com/uFx7SIfdxX
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 7, 2016
A partnership of 26 between Todd Astle and Cam Fletcher proved promising but, once again, a quick succession of wickets scuppered their run. Astle tried to put Sodhi over the short leg-side boundary, but was well caught by a tip-toeing Joe Carter. Tim Johnston got a leading edge back to Scott Kuggeleijn in the following over.
One ball later – and two hours after play had started – the rain fell again, ending play for the day and leaving Canterbury requiring a further 78 runs from their tail to claim victory.
Fletcher (19*) and Kyle Jamieson (0*) will be the key partnership for Canterbury, while number 10 Henry Shipley also showed some hitting ability with his quickfire 30 in the first innings.
Northern Districts will be favoured for victory, but with the clash already having taken a number of turns, another late twist can’t be ruled out.
DAY TWO
Canterbury 84/2 in the second innings (Michael Davidson 38*) require 124 runs to defeat Northern Districts 181 all out (Dean Brownlie 30, Daryl Mitchell 44; Todd Astle 3-20) at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 6 November 2016
Canterbury is in prime position to secure its second win of the Plunket Shield season after dominating the second day of their clash with Northern Districts.
Video scorecard
The visitors require another 124 runs to win with eight wickets in hand, on a pitch which is slowly offering more to the batsmen — after having been a bowler’s paradise on Day One.
Those conditions weren’t capitalised on by Northern Districts who did the hard yards, but were guilty of some poor strokes as they were bowled out for 181 in their second innings.
Resuming the day at 13/1, ND had begun strongly, Dean Brownlie (30) and Bharat Popli (28) laying a solid platform considering the run-scoring famine seen the day earlier.
Canterbury's leader Andrew Ellis. Image: Photosport
However, it was two mini-collapses by Northern which put Canterbury in contention. The first saw three wickets fall in five balls as the hosts capitulated from 91/2 to 91/5 as Brownlie, Corey Anderson and Anton Devcich all fell – Andy Ellis the bowler doing the bulk of the damage.
Daryl Mitchell, dropped at second slip on nine, became set to solidify the innings alongside Tim Seifert and the pair proved resolute, at one stage weathering 32 consecutive dot balls as they stuck together for 25 overs.
Daryl Mitchell played a calming hand for Northern Districts. Image: Photosport
Seifert faced 82 balls, but was eventually undone for just 16, ending a partnership of 47. Mitchell was steady, though, occupying the crease for nearly three hours in an important 44 – the highest score of the match to date.
However, when he was the seventh wicket to fall with 169 on the board, the second stream of wickets fell. Tim Southee went softly to Todd Astle, who then trapped Ish Sodhi in front with the following ball, ND eventually dismissed for a below par 181.
Todd Astle has been in fine Plunket Shield form for Canterbury. Image: Photosport
That left Canterbury with 208 to win, and they showed greater resilience in their second turn at bat.
Opener Peter Fulton survived a scare on three when a catch was claimed at second slip by Popli off the bowling of Southee. As celebrations ensued, Fulton stood his ground, and the umpires conferred to rule the ball had hit the ground — giving Fulton a stay of execution.
He eventually made 27 in a vital and calming opening stand of 62 with Michael Davidson, before a bustling spell of bowling from Scott Kuggeleijn gave ND hope, claiming Fulton’s wicket in the most dangerous ND offering of the innings.
Henry Nicholls bashed 14 off a Sodhi over, but soon fell to James Baker before bad light called a premature end to the day with Canterbury at 84/2.
Davidson will resume on 38 with Ken McClure on one, but they may have to wait until Tuesday to continue their chase for an outright victory, with heavy rain forecast to fall tomorrow in Hamilton.
DAY ONE
Northern Districts 19/1 lead Canterbury by 39 in the second innings. Earlier, Northern Districts 138 all out (Corey Anderson 35, Anton Devcich 37; Kyle Jamieson 4-32, Ed Nuttall 3-44) and Canterbury 112 all out (Henry Shipley 30; Tim Southee 5-39, Ish Sodhi 4-39) at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 5 November 2016
First innings batting bonus points, Northern Districts 0, Canterbury 0 (completed)
First innings bowling bonus points, Canterbury 4,, Northern Districts 4 (completed)
Two returning BLACKCAPS starred with the ball in an action-packed opening day of the Plunket Shield encounter between Northern Districts and Canterbury.
Scorecard
Northern Districts duo Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi ripped through the heart of the Canterbury batting order at Seddon Park — a performance which was much needed by the hosts after Canterbury had earlier also found success with the ball.
Remarkably, 21 wickets fell on a day which didn’t begin until 12.40pm, and had multiple stoppages for rain.
Canterbury having asked them to bat, Northern had walked out at 10.30am only to have rain fall as soon as guards were taken, eventually getting started in overcast conditions on a green pitch favourable to seam bowlers.
The bowlers certainly made the most of the conditions, Kyle Jamieson removing Dean Brownlie with a peach of delivery to get proceedings underway, while Ed Nuttall was also in on the action early to reduce ND to nine for three.
The variable seam movement and troubling bounce perhaps played a factor in their aggressive approach from there on, with Corey Anderson (35 from 37), Daryl Mitchell (23 from 25) and stand-in captain Anton Devcich (37 from 27) combining for 16 boundaries as they temporarily resurrected the innings.
Mitchell hit one of his trademark straight sixes over the sightscreen and Anderson plundered a six off Andy Ellis into the lighting tower as the innings began to resemble a Twenty20 effort.
While their contributions had value on a wicket where runs were always going to be difficult to come by, there wasn’t much support from the rest of the ND order — Southee the only other player to reach double digits, making 27 from 22 balls as he also deposited a delivery out of the park.
Despite their match-winning exploits last week, Canterbury didn’t even require their spin duo of Todd Astle and Tim Johnston as their seamers all profited. Jamieson (4-32) and Nuttall (3-44) were the pick of the seam quartet, Henry Shipley and Andy Ellis sharing the other three wickets to fall.
Of Northern’s eventual 138 runs, 104 came through boundaries and the innings ended in comical circumstances when Southee stepped on his wicket trying to find the boundary once more.
That blunder was immediately avenged as Southee put in another superb showing in his Plunket Shield career, claiming the key wickets of Peter Fulton and Henry Nicholls to put Canterbury in an early hole at five for two.
Anderson continued his bowling comeback with the wicket of Michael Davidson, and while Ken McClure (25) and Ellis (28) played steadily, the introduction of Sodhi started another collapse.
Canterbury quickly fell from 76/5 to 82/9 as Sodhi and Southee worked wonderfully in tandem, but the visitors kept themselves in touch with a potentially helpful 30-run stand for the final wicket – the largest stand of the innings.
Henry Shipley deposited Sodhi for three sixes as he blasted a quick-fire top score of 30 in Canterbury’s 112, but Southee returned to wrap up the innings and finished with a five-wicket bag while Sodhi claimed 4-39.
The wicket-taking rush wasn’t done for the day though, Shipley claiming the wicket of Joe Carter as ND finished at 13-1 in the second innings at stumps – a lead of 39 runs.
Rain is scheduled to play a reasonable role in the next two days of play, but at the rate wickets are tumbling, there should be more action ahead in a clash which is still firmly in the balance.
