ROUND FOUR | DAY THREE - Highlights
DANE CLEAVER DOUBLE CENTURY AT McLEAN PARK
LEO CARTER DOUBLE CENTURY IN RANGIORA
MAIDEN NICK KELLY CENTURY + MAIDEN LOUIS DELPORT 5-FA in AUCKLAND
"Moving Day" goes big! Not one, but two first-class double centuries, first Leo Carter for Canterbury in Rangiora then Dane Cleaver - a first cousin of Kane Williamson, who also had a pretty good day - for the Central Stags in Napier. Not to be left out, the Auckland Aces witnessed a maiden five-wicket bag for their emerging spinner Louis Delport. Double trouble for Northern Districts and current championship leaders the Wellington Firebirds while the Otago Volts are in a spin in Auckland.
CLEAVER FEVER AT McLEAN PARK
Just over three weeks ago, Dane Cleaver walked off Hagley Oval heartbroken after missing out on his maiden first-class double century - having been dismissed on 196 for New Zealand A against the shadow Indian Test team. Today he went from 189 to 201 in the space of three balls after pelting two sixes off Mitch Santner to reach the special milestone after all. Santner had his revenge the very next ball to end the Stags' first innings at 482, a first-innings lead of 211.
DANE CLEAVER's 7th π£ takes him to 195*...
β Central Stags π (@CentralStags) February 24, 2020
.... and his 8th to his first DOUBLE CENTURY!
1st class scores of 196 & now 201 off 233 balls, looking every inch Kane Williamson's 1st cuzzie π
We're all out for 482, a lead of 211 π¦#PlunketShield | #LOVETHESTAGS | #GoDaney pic.twitter.com/T4bH1LF6Q3
Keeper-batsman Cleaver has enjoyed a solid summer in all formats and dominated stands of 57 for the fifth wicket with Ben Smith, 81 for the sixth with Brad Schmulian, 54 for the seventh with Willem Ludick and a remarkable 95 for the eighth with Blair Tickner, the former number 11 promoted to nine and batting for 95 minutes for his Stags career best score of 26 (Tickner also has a 30 not out for New Zealand A). Cleaver punished the Harris Stand boundary with 18 boundaries and 8 sixes in just under six hours at the crease.
The 28-year-old then put the icing on his day by claiming two catches with the gloves, ND heading into the final day tomorrow at 64 for two, trailing by 147 in the second innings.
TWIN TONS IN RANGIORA
Three wickets in the last three overs of the day for no addition to the score and still trailing their hosts by 176 was the last thing the Wellington Firebirds needed after another long, sweaty day chasing leather.
Canterbury batsman Ken McClure already has a first-class double century to his name, but his 152 today - continuing on overnight from his fourth first-class century - was upstaged by teammate Leo Carter's career-best unbeaten 226 - the seventh highest first-class performance for Canterbury in its lengthy history, and just two runs shy of surpassing Shanan Stewart's 227 not out of 2009/10.
200 up for Leo Carter!
β Canterbury Cricket (@CanterburyCrick) February 24, 2020
Canterbury now lead by 170 runs with 4 wickets remaining.
SCORECARD | https://t.co/fDo7rQU7Ad#WeAreCanterbury #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/D7WLMcPWuJ
McClure and Carter combined for a mammoth 221-run stand for the fourth wicket, followed by a further century stand (116) between Carter and Cam Fletcher for the fifth, and 72 for the seventh with Will Williams.
Sublime Carter more than doubled his previous best of 101 with his epic, slamming 21 boundaries and three sixes in more than eight and a half hours of concentration. Captain Stephen Murdoch declared at 570 for eight shortly after tea with a lead of 254.
An impressive feat by Leo Carter | PHOTOSPORT
With a brace of wickets to both paceman Andrew Hazeldine and spinner Theo van Woerkom before stumps, the Firebirds will have to work hard to avoid an outright loss tomorrow, with 22-year-old debutant Troy Johnson and captain Michael Bracewell facing the challenge.
VOLTS IN A SPIN AFTER DELPORT'S DAY
In his third first-class season (after three matches in South Africa in 2014/15, followed by a solitary match on Aces debut last summer), 32-year-old left-arm spinner Louis Delport finally has his maiden five-wicket bag.
A maiden five-wicket haul for Louis Delport! Nick Kelly's fighting effort ends at 118, after finding Sean Solia on the deep square-leg boundary.
β Auckland Cricket (@aucklandcricket) February 24, 2020
Volts 267/8 | ACES 467/6 dec. | LIVE SCORECARD | https://t.co/1hOca6FHAp pic.twitter.com/7NPGrmvQHN
His 5-77 ensured the Auckland Aces grabbed a 186-run first innings lead after rolling the Otago Volts for 281 at Eden Park Outer Oval and upstaged a maiden first-class century from Nick Kelly who produced a fighting 118 with little support (Michael Rippon coming to his aid down the order with an unbeaten 41*) to get his side a score.
HUNDRED | Nick Kelly keeps fighting on, with a brave reverse sweep to bring up a maiden First Class hundred.
β Auckland Cricket (@aucklandcricket) February 24, 2020
#FollowSuit #PlunketShield
Volts 232/7 | ACES 467/6 dec. | LIVE SCORECARD | https://t.co/1hOca6FHAp
Kelly's previous first-class best was an unbeaten 56* and he cherished three figures before falling victim to the spinner to confer the breakthrough five-fa.
Despite losing three big wickets in Guptill, Phillips and Chapman, by stumps the Aces' lead had grown to 352 with the Aces in the box seat and the hosts are poised for a declaration tomorrow with Jeet Raval unbeaten on 66* overnight.
