ROUND FOUR • 2022/23
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
8 December 2022
Canterbury beat Wellington Firebirds by 5 wickets
Bonus point win for Canterbury
Selected milestones
Wellington Firebirds: equal second lowest List A team total for Wellington
Will O'Rourke: career best List A bowling (3-15)
Lunch went down easy for the Canterbury batsmen at Hagley Oval, and why wouldn't it have? They needed just a further 27 runs to win the match after the scheduled meal break, with a whole 36 overs to get them.
The Firebirds' winning streak came to a screeching halt in this game, sent in on a windy Christchurch morning on a green-hued deck, and returning one of their worst one-day totals.
Dismissed for 79 with a top score of 14, it would be a speed wobble the Firebirds will quickly need to park mentally, having produced the equal second lowest total in their team's one-day history.
But enough of that.
The credit went to Canterbury's strong attack, with just the four frontline pacemen required.
Fresh off a ton in the last match, Rachin Ravindra and opening partner Tom Blundell had made it into the 10th over unscathed before Matt Henry (2-19) broke through.
Then change bowlers Ed Nuttall (3-20) and Will O'Rourke (bowling impressively again for a career best 3-15) went to town, Nuttall making a big blow with a double wicket maiden in the 15th over to remove both Tim Robinson and Lauchie Johns, and have the visitors reeling at 45/5.
It hadn't helped that Blundell was run out attempting a tight single against the deadly arm of McConchie.
Henry came back to finish things off in just the 28th over, but the action wasn't done for pre-lunch phase of the match, with another 14 overs left on the clock before the players went in for refreshment.
That was plenty time enough for Logan van Beek to retaliate with three wickets of his own, with the Canterbury top order of Chad Bowes, Matt Boyle (yorked), Henry Nicholls (caught off Ollie Newton) and Tom Latham all sent walking back to the pavilion in a hurry with single-figure scores.
It was a bowler's field day, but even with their fast start, the Firebirds would have needed a miraculous performance to stop Canterbury from chasing down yet another bonus point victory and extend their early lead.
Canterbury did exactly that, despite Michael Snedden claiming the consolation wicket of McConchie (27) shortly before the end of the match arrived in just the 19th over.
