ROUND ONE
WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS beat NORTHERN DISTRICTS by one wicket
Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
18-21 October, 2022
First innings points (completed):
Wellington Firebirds 4 bowling (maximum achieved), 4 batting (maximum achieved)
Northern Districts 1 batting, 4 bowling (maximum achieved)
TOTAL POINTS this round: Wellington Firebirds 20, Northern Districts: 5
Selected Milestones
Adam Leonard - first-class debut
Nick Kelly - Wellington Firebirds debut (previously ND and Otago Volts)
Tom Blundell - 200 first-class dismissals when he took the first catch of the match
Tom Blundell - 12th first-class century (ninth for Firebirds)
Rachin Ravindra - 5th first-class century (third for Firebirds)
Henry Cooper - 2500 first-class runs
Tim Seifert - 3000 first-class catches
Tom Blundell - 150 first-class catches, and for the second time in his career equalled the Wellington record for most wicketkeeping dismissals in an innings (6, second innings)
Bharat Popli - 5th first-class century
Iain McPeake - fifth five-wicket bag
Matt Fisher - maiden five-wicket bag
DAY FOUR
What a finish would be in store on the final afternoon - both teams in it to the death.
Northern Districts began the decisive day 135 runs in arrears, but with wickets in hand. That would change very quickly in a rain-interrupted morning session - the last six wickets falling like dominoes as ND suddenly found themselves bowled out for 394.
Iain McPeake bowls Matt Fisher and that's that for the @ndcricket innings. All out for 394 with a lead of 249. 6 wickets for 24 runs this morning! 🎯 250 to win! LIVE scores and stream https://t.co/tBGVMxTQeF #WEAREWELLINGTON #CricketNation #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/zVb8oeRaDJ
— Cricket Wellington (@cricketwgtninc) October 20, 2022
Iain McPeake had continued his good work in the first innings, adding a second-innings five-for (5-82) to his 4-83 in the first innings to complete a match haul of 9-165.
The Northern chaos had begun first over of the day with Michael Snedden bowling Colin de Grandhomme off the last ball of the over, with the only addition to the overnight score an extra.
McPeake then had Brett Hampton caught behind at the start of his second over of the morning - keeper Tom Blundell going on to a Wellington record-equalling six dismissals in the innings, something he had already achieved once before at the Cello Basin Reserve against Canterbury.
Incumbent centurion Bharat Popli picked off a few boundaries to get the scoreboard ticking over again, but in just the seventh over of play Snedden put himself on a hat-trick with the wickets of Kristian Clarke and Neil Wagner: ND was now 393/8.
The remarkable denouement would last only another seven deliveries as the unchanged attack did the business for the Firebirds. McPeake swept in for the last two wickets off consecutive balls as well, Joe Walker caught behind by a swooping Blundell, and then Matt Fisher bowled to hand McPeake his well deserved bag.
Now, after yesterday's explosive batting, the capital match had a more typical early-season feel about it - and the wickets would keep tumbling quickly as the Wellington Firebirds embarked on their chase, the dressing room doors clanging.
Rachin Ravindra and Luke Georgeson made a good enough start against Wagner and de Grandhomme, but at 56/0 Ravindra was caught behind down the leg side off Hampton, then Fisher struck next over to make Troy Johnson's stay a short one. Georgeson departed off Fisher's next over: 65/3.
Then, a fourth wicket in a blink. Tim Robinson trapped, and the sharp Fisher with three. If it wasn't Game On already, it certainly was now!
The fifth wicket would fall before Nick Greenwood (45) and Tom Blundell (68) stopped the rot to get their side past 150. However, Greenwood departed before tea, and Blundell early in the third session - a classy fifth wicket and first bag for Matt Fisher, leaving newbie debutant Adam Leonard to pick up the baton.
Leonard, the son of former Central Districts seamer David Leonard, batted for more than an hour to keep the tight run chase alive, while keeping the visitors frustrated as they hunted the last two remaining wickets.
Time was running out when the ninth wicket fell, Leonard caught behind off Kristian Clarke after an admirable 30. Moreover, the Firebirds now needed just six runs for victory, with the one wicket left.
James Hartshorn was the last Firebirds batsman, joining Michael Snedden as everyone in the ground hung on every ball.
Dot. Dot. Dot. The tension rose with every delivery. Snedden found a single off Wagner in the next over, leaving Hartshorn to fend off another three balls from the snorting BLACKCAP.
Clarke was back on, and Snedden picked off a two, and another single. Now victory was as close as defeat: one more hit would do it.
Clarke dotted down against Hartshorn, but off the next delivery Hartshorn swung hard and managed to get a streaky edge that ran away for four behind him.
Jubilant, the Firebirds had clinched a nailbiting win to get their season off to a flier - leaving Northern to contemplate a very near miss.
DAY THREE
Northern Districts headed into the fourth morning at the Cello Basin Reserve with a 225-run overall lead and six wickets in hand, setting up an intriguing final day.
Having resumed at 10/0, the visitors lost only one wicket in a stable morning session that saw both openers, Jeet Raval and Henry Cooper, reach half centuries; Cooper for the second time in the match.
Their 117-run opening stand was broken just before lunch when Luke Georgeson enticed anchorman Raval to edge behind on 54.
Cooper meanwhile had been finding the boundary regularly when he was joined by Bharat Popli, and would go on to reach 90 (12x4, 1x6) before Iain McPeake ensured keeper Blundell was in the action again with another fine edge behind.
Denied a seventh first-class ton, Cooper soon had company back in the dressing room after Joe Carter last just five deliveries. His dismissal for no score was a huge wicket for McPeake, another fine edge travelling to the keeper to usher in Tim Seifert at 190/3 in the 60th over.
However, after the momentary flutters, Northern supporters were able to relax again as another century stand took shape through the sunny afternoon, Seifert adding 141 with Popli, across two and a half important hours.
After his 75 in the first innings, the rock Popli was drawing close to three figures late in the last session when spinner Rachin Ravindra finally put another number in the wickets column, Seifert caught in the deep on 69.
Popli held his composure and would reach three figures before stumps, unbeaten on 110* with Colin de Grandhomme 25* in an unbroken 39-run stand for the fifth taking them into the final morning.
DAY TWO
Two contrasting centuries were the twin highlights on a fast-moving, rain-delayed second day at the Cello Basin Reserve.
Having resumed at 44/0, Rachin Ravindra yet again stamped himself out as a young cricketer of class, top-scoring in the Wellington innings with a well measured 126 in his first knock of the season.
Batting for more than four hours, he added to the frustration of Northern Districts who were made to work hard for their breakthroughs, and he combined with Tom Blundell in a 132-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Ravindra was the anchorman and Blundell his dashing centurion partner, contributing 102 of those 132 runs at a racy, run-a-ball pace.
After 14 boundaries and a six for good measure, Blundell finally fell to a short, sharp Matt Fisher delivery at 285/5 - but Ravindra just kept on going.
The run rate dried up as ND spinner Joe Walker began to have an influence, ultimately picking up 3-72. It was Walker who finally enticed a Ravindra mistake at 349/9, and he ended a little flurry of 29 runs from the number 10, Michael Snedden.
Wellington's 370 all out translated into a 145-run first innings lead, with Northern reaching 10 for no loss in the short period left before stumps.
DAY ONE
The first wicket of the new 2022/23 Domestic summer fell at the Cello Basin Reserve when Firebirds seamer Michael Snedden struck early against Northern Districts.
His captain, Tom Blundell, had won the toss to send in the visitors but, by lunch, ND had steadily recovered from Jeet Raval's early departure at 12/1 to be 102 for no further loss.
Raval's dismissal had been Blundell's 200th dismissal, but Henry Cooper (56, above) and the stoic Bharat Popli would go on to reach a century stand for the second wicket - until the Snedden/Blundell combo finally did it again after lunch, Cooper heading back shortly after his half ton.
ND captain Joe Carter, fresh off his two big scores in India with NZ A, came to the crease, but was another big wicket for the hosts after a stay of just 13 overs.
Tim Seifert joined Popli (above) now, but a dramatic collapse would see the last seven ND wickets fall in the space of just 17 overs.
In the circumstances, Popli's dismissal on the top score of 75 in the 61st over was a particular blow, trapped by Luke Georgeson. From 188/5, ND would be rolled for 225 in 76.1 overs.
That meant maximum bowling bonuses in the bag for Wellington, Iain McPeake (above) finishing with 4-83 and Georgeson, James Hartshorn (below) and Snedden all picking up a brace.
With 17 overs remaining in the day, the hosts survived unscathed against fiery Neil Wagner's best efforts, and went to stumps at 44 for no loss, trailing by 181.
