Across New Zealand it’s one-day Ford Trophy time and, with only eight rounds in total before this season’s Finals, teams have got no time to lose.
Already Auckland’s Mondiale Aces are Georgie Pie Super Smash champions and they’re leading the first class Plunket Shield, so there should be no surprises that they were unbeaten after the two opening rounds of Ford Trophy.
Big-hitting captain Colin Munro has just been named in the BLACKCAPS Twenty20 squad, ditto Corey Anderson who’s been going big for the SKYCITY Northern Knights.
They will be going head to head at Eden Park Outer Oval this Sunday, so be careful driving along Sandringham Road there as the bombs start to come down.
The Aces have three games in a row at the Outer Oval: it’s been their happy home hunting ground this summer, but leading the Ford Trophy table — thanks to a bonus point — is the only other unbeaten team, Canterbury.
Canterbury’s strength is their mix of experience — the likes of Peter Fulton, Todd Astle and captain Andy Ellis, who have all played for the BLACKCAPS — and, young talent like Logan van Beek and keeper-batsman Cameron Fletcher.
Canterbury have got their first two home games coming up at Hagley Oval, where they’ll be keen to press home the advantage to get themselves in pole for the Finals.
The Devon Hotel Central Stags are the defending champions, but they’ve got a new look team and a new young skipper, Will Young. Exciting young talent is in their mix, too, and, although they opened with a loss against Canterbury, they bounced back with a good win over the Wellington Firebirds at the Basin Reserve in round two.
The Firebirds have much more experience — captain Michael Papps was playing his 150th List A match. That’s a lot of one-dayers.
Unfortunately, the Firebirds didn’t get the win for him — but they did make a game of it, thanks to a maiden century from Luke Woodcock — and that was pretty cool for the Wellington stalwart in his 101st Ford Trophy game. Woodcock has also played more than 100 first-class games for the team.
Problem was, George Worker had already put on a show in the Stags’ innings with a classy hundred of his own.
Worker had been released from the BLACKCAPS ODI squad to have a bat for the Stags — and when Worker gets in, you just sit back and enjoy the show while he plays his shots all around the wicket.
Last season, he scored 194 in a single innings, one of the highest Ford Trophy scores of all time (the Stags have a knack for that section of the record book, with Jamie How owning the record with his double ton at Seddon Park).
The Stags have got two home games coming up in New Plymouth and that’s exciting because Jesse Ryder just loves the boundaries at Pukekura Park.
Ryder looked to be in a good space as he pumped out a fifty off just 35 balls at the Basin and put on 126 with Worker next to no time at all for the second wicket — so take a helmet to wear on the terraces of Pukekura Park!
There are only six games now before the Finals begin, so get out and support your team 11am this Sunday to help them make the cut for 2016.
Can’t get to the ground? Livescoring as always at www.blackcaps.co.nz and on the BLACKCAPS mobile app.
