Ford Trophy round three: SKYCITY Northern Knights 263/9 (Flynn 62, Mitchell 61, Sodhi 35; Gillespie 2-23 off 7.1) beat the Wellington Firebirds 240 in 48.5 overs (Elliott 78, Pollard 41, Day 57; Mitchell 3-34 off 7, Kuggeleijn 3-32 off 8.5) by 23 runs at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
In a rematch of last year’s Ford Trophy Final, winless defending champions the Wellington Firebirds suffered another bruising blow to their title defence today in a wrestling match with the SKYCITY Northern Knights at Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval.
As the thermometer hit 26 degrees in the middle, on a slowish pitch that chastened the batsmen and pleased the Knights’ spin attack, never-say-die all-rounder Grant Elliott fought tenaciously for his 78 off 80 balls — keeping the Firebirds in with a sniff after most of the big names in the line-up had toppled early, and surviving a big dropped chance on 68.
He was joined in his resolve by the Firebirds’ new recruit this season Alecz Day, who impressed at eight with his second Ford Trophy half-century on the trot.
But Elliott’s wicket in the 43rd over — caught and bowled by leg-spinner Ish Sodhi — was the telling blow, and he was left nursing that awful feeling of not going on to a crucial century.
Earlier, the Knights had been sent in after the Firebirds had won the toss — which, to be fair, had suited both sides down to the ground. Daryl Mitchell began his excellent all-round day by steadying the Knights’ innings after they had been knocked back to 44-2 in the 11th over — Elliott taking the first of his two wickets when he bowled Brad Wilson with just his fifth ball.
Mitchell, the number four, joined his captain Daniel Flynn in a key partnership that played out agonisingly slowly at first, but settled and then took the Knights to the brink of 150 without further drama.
Flynn fell for a relatively cautious 82-ball 62, and he kicked himself for getting out just after the 30-over mark, when he was well set. Mitchell (61) joined him in the pavilion just one over later, however a breezy 28 from Jono Hickey and late rally from Ish Sodhi and Jono Boult pushed the Knights into defendable territory at 263-9.
Mitchell’s return to touch after an erratic season was welcome and, had he taken one more wicket in his career best star turn with the ball of 3-34 off seven overs — the part-timer snaffling the prize wickets of Pollard (who was dropped twice en route to his 41), Ronchi (who was sent back cheaply after an oustanding leap at slip by Brad Wilson) and Franklin (bowled on 11); he would have become only the second Knights player ever to take four wickets and score a half-century in the same Ford Trophy match.
The game ended on a dramatic note with Mark Gillespie — who had been injured at the bowling crease after earning two good wickets at a lean cost — limping out to try to save it with the bat in the last couple of overs.
He had a torn calf — and being bowled off-stump first ball by Scott Kuggeleijn no doubt only added to the pain. The Firebirds had needed 26 off the last three overs, but the Knights had instead clinched their second victory on the trot by 23 runs in the 49th over, third on the points table after the first game in this third round.
