The Devon Hotel Central Stags proved just how dangerous they are with the bat — getting up to chase down a target of almost 300 from the unlikely position of 105 for six.
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An incredible chase
First drop Jesse Ryder called it one of the best wins he’d ever been part of, and he could take a well-deserved bow after he and Ben Wheeler, in just his third game back this season, almost casually smashed the highest domestic List A record for all teams for the seventh wicket — blasting 163 runs as each raced to their own career best score.
To put it in perspective, the previous Ford Trophy record had stood at an unbroken 130 (Matthew Bell and Stephen Mather for Wellington in 1997/98). It left Canterbury utterly stunned.
At the innings break, most pundits would have been inking in Canterbury to host the Grand Final, after BLACKCAP Tom Latham’s third List A century had set up a robust 294/8 on a sweltering 30 degree day in front of the Hagley Oval faithful.
Opposing captains Andy Ellis and Will Young
Stags captain Will Young had elected to bowl, up against hosts that had BLACKCAPS batsman Henry Nicholls (back from representing Sydney Thunder in the BBL) and Todd Astle (back from the BLACKCAPS’ ANZ T20s against Pakistan) returning to their fold.
Latham found the fence for the first time in the third over, then Ronnie Hira celebrated his birthday by pelting back to back boundaries off Wheeler next over to take 11 from it. The tone for the day was set.
Fun for Ronnie Hira on his 29th birthday
Coming on as first change, BLACKCAP Doug Bracewell managed to separate the pair in the 10th over, bowling Hira after a typically aggressive 27 that had seen the ball hit the rope five times.
That brought Nicholls in to work with Latham and crucially, for the Stags, the momentum was chastened as they looked to treat Bracewell with the respect he deserved, dealng in singles for a few overs until Nicholls found a boundary off Blair Tickner. At the 15-over mark they were 84/1: good, but not blistering.
Bracewell’s first four-over stint saw him return a superb 1-10, while Latham had reached his half century off 57 balls by drinks.
Trouble in twos: Ben Wheeler and Doug Bracewell
The 50 partnership came up shortly afterwards, Latham looking to make up for lost time against Jesse Ryder and Seth Rance. On 72, he lost his mate as Rance tricked Nicholls (27) into a caught behind and at the halfway mark Canterbury was 141/2 — a good platform on which to capitalise.
Tom Latham delivered a classy ton
Trying to stop them cold, Young decided to call Bracewell back the crease, but Latham and Peter Fulton had kept things intact as the 30-over mark arrived. It was Ben Wheeler who struck after drinks, trapping Fulton on 33 to have Canterbury 194/3 in the 36th over, while Latham turned away on 99.
Young turned to golden arm George Worker to see if a change of pace might thwart Latham on the cusp, but the BLACKCAPS opener was not to be tricked by that, raising his bat after a single. His second List A century for Canterbury, and third overall, was his first since his maiden effort against the Wellington Firebirds in 2011/12, and he’d rustled it up off just 111 balls.
Todd Astle gave Ryder high ball catching practice in the 43rd over, a good take giving Rance his first wicket and ushering in Canterbury skipper Andy Ellis to attempt to see it through, Latham, now on 118, with a chance of carrying his bat.
Blair Tickner
But Latham would be the next to fall, caught by Tom Bruce after top-edging off Tickner for a sterling 126 off 135 balls, nine boundaries among them. It was delayed satisfaction for both bowler and fieldsman, as Tickner hadn't been able to hold onto a skier at mid-on when Latham was on 54, while Bruce couldn't quite pull off a catch and release 60 runs later as momentum carried him over the boundary rope.
Cue Bracewell getting ready to charge in at the death. Ellis managed to squirt him down to the third man boundary, but he picked up Cole McConchie caught and, two balls later, ripped out Logan van Beek’s leg stump with a smart yorker.
Rance (3-56) came back well to contain in the 49th over as the Canterbury momentum stalled at the death. How those brief lulls would cost them, even despite Ellis pelting Bracewell for two straight sixes in the last over to close his account on an unbeaten 27 off 21.
So, the Stags needed pretty much a run a ball to take the direct route to the Grand Final, which would be at Pukekura Park if they won and at Hagley Oval if they lost — double the stakes for both teams.
Up against one of the deepest batting lineups in the country, Canterbury knew they would still need to bowl well — but had the top order on a plate when both Ben Smith, who was coming off a near-century in the previous game, and George Worker chopped on early, against Ed Nuttall and Kyle Jamieson respectively.
Jamieson's height creates awkward bounce
Twenty-two-year-old left-armer Nuttall is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament while right-armer 21-year-old Jamieson, at six foot eight, is just plain awkward with his high release point combined with good pace and the ability to move the ball — as the Stags rapidly discovered.
A handful all summer: left-armer Ed Nuttall
Will Young was into his work with a lovely cover drive for four.
But calamity just as quickly returned when Jamieson got one through onto his stumps: it was 20/3 after six overs, and the tall former NZ Under-19s player and youth basketballer had a wicket maiden, sitting on 2-8 off just 3.1 overs.
Jesse Ryder was next joined by the dangerous Tom Bruce, who was also coming off a near-century in the previous round. Astle entered the attack and Ryder welcomed him by pumping his first over for 14 runs, including a six over his head — he’d already almost casually clobbered Jamieson for a six over square.
Bruce seemed a likely ally, cutting and sweeping back-to-back boundaries off Astle’s next set before booming a leg-side six to make it 14 runs in three balls.
Imagine captain Ellis’s delight when he reached down to pluck a caught and bowled next over, reducing the Stags to 74/4 at drinks — the Stags now seemingly facing an uphill battle to get another 221 runs, even with Ryder there on 31.
The quicksand was about to get even more treacherous for the Stags, Logan van Beek getting some one-on-one payback by uprooting Bracewell’s stump.
Van Beek’s wicket maiden meant the Stags were 81/5 after 18, 214 runs needed with Ryder on 36 and wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Cleaver looking to support him. Surely the odds were on Canterbury from here.
Payback from Logan van Beek
Cleaver pumped Ellis for a six, but would be another who was not permitted to stick around for long, edging a lavish drive to give the Canterbury captain another wicket: in just the 23rd over, the Stags were surely doomed at 105/6. Ryder hadn’t even for to his 50 yet.
Ben Wheeler strode out to the middle having hardly been required to bat in the previous round, although the 2015 BLACKCAP had hit a career best 53 in Whangarei on his first game back from his back injury just before that.
Wheeler had struck a career best half ton two games earlier
He and Ryder were now about to inflict some brutal damage.
Ryder lofted a sweet boundary off van Beek to post his 50 off 54 balls, then Wheels attacked the young quick for three more boundaries to fly to 22 off 10 balls.
The skipper is not pleased
By drinks (32 overs), Canterbury was starting to feel nervous, the stand having swollen to 74 off 56 balls. The Stags would need exactly 100 from their last 16 overs: gettable, so long as they could hold onto their wickets.
Wheeler reached his half century off 40 balls: 197/6 after 35 overs. Then he trucked up the Stags’ 200 with a boundary. Two more runs and he and Ryder had a 100-run stand, off just 80 deliveries.
Ryder had not been idle, making his customary leg-side flicks for six look their casual best. He motored into the 90s, then took a boundary off Ellis.
Astle was brought back on to try and stop the marauders, when the Stags needed just 75 more at just over a run a ball.
But run a ball was child’s play for Ryder: it was the rate at which the big entertainer got to his first Ford Trophy century for his native Stags — his seventh List A ton in all, having scored two other Ford Trophy hundreds for the Volts.
He punished Astle, who had a game to forget. Ryder slog-swept him for six to move to 106; meanwhile Wheeler had reached a new career best, moving into the 60s. After 41 overs it was neck and neck: the Stags were 234/6; Canterbury had been 233/3 at the same stage.
Ryder murdered another two sixes off Astle, ditto shots over square in the 43rd over, to post the Stags’ 250 and reduce the equation to fewer than 50 runs.
Kyle Jamieson didn’t command much more respect: he got taken for back-to-back boundaries to get the chase down to 33 from 6.3 overs, the seventh wicket partnership now well into record territory.
Then suddenly — a wicket. Ryder. Trapped by Jamieson at the end of the 44th over. He was furious with himself, but his 136 off 114 balls had been a masterclass of one-day brutality. He’d hit 13 fours, seven sixes and from an unlikely position he had given the Stags their best shot at a home Final.
Wheeler was on 67 and the focus now turned to whether his last remaining partners could hold out long enough against a desperate and hardly impotent Canterbury attack. They would need 27 runs off 6.1 overs: RPO 4.38 to win.
Ajaz Patel took a boundary off Jamieson to ease the nerves, then another. He survived when Peter Fulton fluffed a catch a slip, proof that it just wasn’t Canterbury’s day. Wheeler had earlier been dropped in the deep on 57.
Andy Ellis forced to contemplate the Elimination Final on Wednesday
Astle got his mojo back together and tried to atone, going for just a single off the 47th over. Would it be the difference? The Stags needed 14 off three overs, now.
Nuttall followed up and had Patel caught by Tom Latham: only two bottles left on the wall now, and the pressure was on the Stags to find nine runs.
Wheeler was still there, on 76 off 70, but he needed his tailenders to help. Seth Rance did just that, taking a two off Nuttall first ball. In the Stags’ viewing room there was a war cry and a chance to breathe.
Hira bowled the 49th and went for just four runs. Down to the last over, two runs required. Nuttall bowling. Dot. Tension. Dot. Pressure. And then — Wheeler, two runs. He finished unbeaten on 80 off 77 balls, having helped script one of the Stags’ most remarkable victories.
Now the defending champions would have a home Grand Final at Pukekura Park, while shellshocked Canterbury would have to face a sudden death playoff with the Volts at Hagley Oval on Wednesday to join them. Entry to Hagley Oval will be free on Wednesday.
