ROUND SEVEN • 2022/23
CANTERBURY beat CENTRAL STAGS by 6 wickets
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
11 January 2023
Selected milestones
Dane Cleaver: List A captaincy debut
Brett Johnson: Ford Trophy debut for Central Stags (previously: Wellington Firebirds)
Brad Schmulian: List A career best score (87)
Zak Foulkes: maiden wicket and career-best bowling
Ken McClure: third List A century
All images | PHOTOSPORT
Canterbury is the new Ford Trophy leader after Ken McClure brought home his third Ford Trophy century, ensuring the hosts ticked off a careful chase at Hagley Oval with six balls to spare.
The ball seaming, the Central Stags had grafted away to set Canterbury a target of 251.
The hosts had got off to a tentative reply at 75/4 with early strikes to paceman Brett Randell and allrounder Josh Clarkson, but McClure (100 not out) and Cam Fletcher (86 not out) knuckled down for an unbroken 176*-run partnership for the fifth wicket, just 22 runs short of the Canterbury one-day fifth-wicket record.
Earlier, Brad Schmulian had top-scored for the Central Stags with a List A one-day career-best 87, sharing a century stand with stand-in captain Dane Cleaver (60) who took the armband on behalf of Tom Bruce, a late scratching from the squad with illness.
Among a tidy Canterbury pace quartet, Zak Foulkes starred with a career-best 3-38, including his maiden List A wicket - none other than his former Canterbury Country teammate Jack Boyle, now in his first summer opening the batting for the Stags.
The menacing Will O'Rourke meanwhile picked up 2-36 off his impressive nine overs.
The Stags will feature in the next Ford Trophy match to take place on Tuesday next week, away to Northern Districts at Hamilton's Seddon Park, with Canterbury set to go again against the Otago Volts in Dunedin the following day.
In the meantime, Dream11 Super Smash resumes this Friday, the Cantabrians remaining at Hagley Oval to host Northern Brave.
