After six rounds of play, the Auckland U-17 squad were crowned champions at the National U-17 Tournament. Aucklander’s Connor Ansell and Adam Jones finished as the competition’s top run scorer and top wicket taker respectively.
Final Round
Canterbury U-17s 251-7 (J. Frew 60, O. Wilson 52, M. Hay 32*) beat Northern U-17s 225-9 (J. Russ 65, S. Dykes 44, L. Chapman 3-29)
Canterbury hosted Northern during the first match of the final round, and the side from the Garden City won the toss and decided to bat first. Not for the first time in the tournament, Ben Hartland fell off the third bowl of the innings, but an 81-run stand gave Canterbury a decent platform to push on. Oscar Wilson was the second batsmen to fall, scoring 52 from 44 balls before being caught and bowled by Hamish Mellow. Jesse Frew top scored for Canterbury, hitting 60 from 63 balls, while numerous batsmen also pitched in to help Canterbury reach 251-7 from their 50 overs.
An 84-run opening stand put Northern in a good position to reach Canterbury’s total. Sean Dykes was the first to fall, getting caught for 44. Incredibly his opening partner, Jake Russ, saw six wickets fall before he was trapped LBW for 65. Cam Riley tried his best, scoring 27 from 24 balls at number nine, but it was in vain as Northern fell 26 runs short. Louie Chapman was the pick of the bowlers, producing figures of 3-29 from his ten overs.
Otago U-17s 202 all out off 46.2 overs (M. Chu 41, J. Gain 33, L. Johnson 31, J. Tashkoff 3-32) beat Wellington U-17s 156 all out off 42 overs (J. Mockford 3-25)
Otago decided to bat first against Wellington, and they managed a par score of 202. Again, the Otago openers gave their side a solid start, this time putting on 57 before Max Chu was caught for 41 off 28 balls, including scoring 36 of his runs off boundaries. Around ten overs later Jordan Gain was caught for 33, and while Llew Johnson hit a quick paced 31, Otago struggled to get to set Wellington a big total, getting bowled out for 202 off 46.2 overs.
In reply, Wellington had similar trouble to Otago as they struggled to build substantial partnerships. Four batsmen reached the mid-twenties before being removed. The Otago bowling unit would have been pleased with their performance, as their bowlers were generally consistent. Jordan Mockford was the pick of the bowlers with 3-25 from his ten overs, helping Otago bowl Wellington out for 156.
Auckland U-17s 216-9 (A. Jones 56, C. Ansell 30, H. MacDonald 3-34, J. Simpson 3-40) beat Central U-17s 133 all out off 42 overs (A. Gill 45, C. Ansell 4-21, A. Jones 3-14)
Throughout the tournament, the two players that have stood out were Aucklander’s Connor Ansell and Adam Jones. Ansell hit a bucket-load of runs, while Adams took wicket after wicket, but during Auckland’s clash against Central the roles were reversed. Auckland batted first and while Ansell hit 30 off 37, it was Jones that top scored for the side from the City of Sails. Jones hit six boundaries during his 56 off 87, leading Auckland to 216 from their 50 overs. Harry MacDonald and Josh Simpson both bowled well, taking three wickets each.
While Jones stood out with the bat in this clash, it was Ansell that was the main threat for Auckland with the ball. Central found it tough work building partnerships, and while Akash Gill hit 45, Central overall struggled with the bat. Jones took 3-14 from his 10 overs, while Ansell took 4-21. The two finished as the tournament’s top wicket taker and run scorer, with Jones taking 23 wickets, while Ansell hit 386 runs. Congratulations to the two and their Auckland teammates for taking out the competition.
Round Five
Auckland U-17s 300-6 (C. Ansell 112, Q. Sunde 72, A. Parima 32, R. Harrison 32, O. Redfern 3-62) beat Canterbury U-17s 212 all out off 47.3 overs (S. Yorston 56, O. Lewis 51, R. Syme 45, B. Hartland 33, A. Jones 4-30, R. Harrison 3-44)
The tournament front-runners, Auckland, played Canterbury in the first match of the fifth round of the National U-17 Tournament. The side from the City of Sails won the toss and elected to bat first on the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, and it proved to be a very good decision. Auckland’s opener Connor Ansell and Quinn Sunde provided the perfect platform, putting on 167 for the first wicket, and was only broken when Sunde was trapped LBW for 72. After his partner’s departure Ansell decided to up the ante, hitting boundary after boundary. He was finally stopped on 112, after he was bowled by Oscar Redfern, who picked up three wickets. His second century of the tournament included 14 fours and a six. Ryan Harrison and Aue Parima both scored 32, helping Auckland reach 300 from their 50 overs.
In reply, Canterbury struggled to build partnerships due to some good bowling from Adam Jones and Ryan Harrison. Simon Yorston top scored for the home team, hitting 56 from 67, but it wasn’t enough as Auckland followed up their batting with an impressive display with the ball. Not for the first time in the tournament, Adam Jones was the standout, taking 4-30 from his ten overs, while Harrison also pitched in with three wickets of his own.
Wellington U-17s 267-9 (T. Welgemoed 61, J. Tashkoff 56, T. Campbell 35, T. Parkes 4-49) beat Northern U-17s 228-7 (J. Russ 120*, C. Riley 36*, D. Sharma 4-14)
Wellington won the toss during their clash with Northern and decided to bat first. Tian Welgemoed top scored for Wellington, hitting 61 while opening the batting. Jesse Tashkoff also hit a half century, scoring 56 from 67, while a couple of other batsmen managed to pitch in for the side from the capital, helping them reach 267-9 from their 50 overs. Thorn Parkes was the pick of the bowlers, although expensive, Parkes picked up four crucial Wellington wickets.
Typically, when a player scores an unbeaten century while their team is chasing a score under 300, they would expect to win, but it didn’t happen here. Jake Russ hit 120* for Northern, but they eventually fell 39 runs short. Russ hit nine fours and a six during his 149 balls, but he didn’t get the support he required from the other end. Four Northern batsmen were dismissed without scoring, while Ben Pomare and Hamish Mellow hit twenties, they both used a lot of balls to get there. Cam Riley tired his best to pick up the rate, scoring 36* from 30 balls but it was too late as Northern ran out of overs.
Otago U-17s 296-8 (M. Chu 82, L. Johnson, J. Gain 56) beat Central U-17s 155 all out off 36.5 overs (A. Gill 30)
Otago made it three out of three for teams deciding to bat first, and Otago would have been glad they did. New Zealand U-18 representatives Max Chu and Llew Johnson both stood out with the bat. Chu and Jordan Gain hit 142 for the opening wicket before Gain was caught for 56. Chu continued after his partner was dismissed, and a century was in his sights before he was run out for 82. Johnson continued the openers early momentum, and managed to pick up the scoring rate at the same time, hitting 60 from 44 balls including five fours and three sixes. Quite oddly there was six run outs during this match, three for either side, while Otago eventually reached 296-8 from their 50 overs.
Central struggled from the start to build partnerships, consistently losing wickets at important times. Chasing a score near 300 is tough, but chasing a chase near 300 is even harder when you losing your top three for under 10 runs each. Six out of the seven Otago bowlers took at least one wicket, but it was Chu that stood out again, except this time it was with the gloves. He was involved in five wickets, taking two catches, one stumping and playing a role in two run outs, as he lead Otago to a 141-run victory.
Round Four
Auckland U-17s 220-9 (R. Quinn 49, A. Jones 43, M. James 3-44) beat Otago U-17s 190-9 (T. Dempster 50, J. Mockford 37)
During the opening match of the fourth round of the National Under 17 Tournament, Auckland batted first against Otago and managed a par-score. It didn’t begin well for the side from the City of Sails, losing both openers cheaply, before Adam Jones steadied the ship. Jones took his time, but anchored the innings until he was caught for 43 during the 29th over. Ryan Quinn took over from Jones, again batting patiently for his 49. The middle-lower order managed to help bring Auckland to 220-9 from their 50 overs. New Zealand U-18 representative Ben Lockrose impressed yet again with the ball, taking 2-33 during his ten overs, while Mason James picked up three Auckland batsmen.
In reply, Otago struggled to build partnerships as they constantly were losing wickets throughout their innings. Auckland’s bowling was impressive, as Adam Jones, Simon Jones and Lucas Dasent all took two wickets each. Tom Dempster gave Otago a chance with his 50 from 87 balls, but once he was run out there was no real hope for Otago, although Jack Mockford did score 37* from 34 balls batting at number ten, it simply wasn’t enough as Auckland won the match by 30 runs.
Central U-17s 250 all out off 47.4 overs (K. Weeks 81, T. Zohrab 51, H. MacDonald 35, C. Preston 3-31) lost to Wellington U-17s 251-5 off 49.1 overs (K. Vishvaka 115*, T. Campbell 38)
Central won the toss during their clash against Wellington and decided to make good use of the Bert Sutcliffe Oval by deciding to bat first. Although wickets fell quite regularly, Central produced two crucial partnerships for the second and sixth wicket. Firstly, Finbar Moriarty and Harry MacDonald combined for a 73-run stand, before both batsmen fell in the space of two balls. Three more wickets fell before captain Kurtis Weeks and Thomas Zohrab came together when the score was at 5-112. Their partnership was only broken 18 overs later when Weeks was caught for 81 from 77 balls. The captains knock included nine fours and two sixes. Zohrab continued for a couple overs after Weeks departed, but eventually fell after scoring his half century. He rotated the strike for Weeks perfectly, evident on the scorecard after he only hit one boundary during his 58 balls. Cam Preston was the pick of the Central bowlers, taking 3-31 from his eight overs.
It was going to take something special for Wellington to chase 250, but luckily for Wellington Devan Vishvaka provided that something special. Vishvaka opened the innings and remained till the end, batting for 49.1 overs and facing 154 balls. He was part of a 72-run partnership with Tim Campbell, but even losing five of his partners, Vishvaka remained strong, ending the innings on an incredible 115*, leading Wellington to a five-wicket victory.
Northern U-17s 261-8 (S. Dykes 81, T. Parkes 69, J. Russ 33) beat Canterbury U-17s 216 all out off 48 overs (L. Chapman 61, B. Hartland 50, I. Singh 3-43, C. Boswell-Smith 3-53)
The final match of the round was fought out between Northern and Canterbury, and Northern set Canterbury an imposing 261-8. A 91-run opening partnership and an 89-run partnership for the second wicket gave Northern the perfect base for their innings. Opener Sean Dykes top scored with 81 from 113, while Thorn Parkes provided support with 69 from 56 balls. Numerous wickets fell towards the end of Northern’s innings, with Jesse Frew and Oscar Redfern both taking two wickets each.
Canterbury began their chase well, after opener Ben Hartland gave his side a good platform with 50 from 64. Coming in at number four Louie Chapman also scored well, hitting 61 from 80 balls but other than Hartland’s and Chapman’s fifties the Canterbury were left short of a match winning innings. Iman Singh was the pick of the Canterbury bowlers, taking figures of 3-43, while Caleb Boswell-Smith also helped his side to a 45-run victory with three wickets of his own.
Round Three
Canterbury U-17s 172-8 off 24 overs (O. Wilson 43, L. Chapman 33, A. Gill 3-24) lost to Central U-17s 175-4 off 21.2 overs (A. Gill 64*, K. Weeks 57)
Rain meant that all matches would be reduced to a slightly modified twenty20 format. During the first match of the round, Canterbury were sent into bat by Central, and at 74-0 off 10 overs it was looking positive for the home side. This was until both openers lost their wickets. Ben Hartland was back in the sheds first after hitting 25 from 28 balls, while captain for the day, Oscar Wilson ended up top-scoring with 43 off 39 balls. Rico Syme and Louie Chapman both got starts, but the Canterbury side never really got back that initial momentum. Akash Gill was the pick of the Central bowlers with figures of 3-24 from his five overs, helping restrict Canterbury to 172-8 from their 24 overs.
An outstanding 106-run partnership for the fourth wicket set up Central’s chase perfectly. Akash Gill and Kurtis Weeks came together when Central were stuttering at 3-40, but after a superb partnership Central went passed Canterbury’s total during the 21st over. Gill ended the innings unbeaten on 64 from 46, while Weeks was caught for 57 from 38.
Auckland U-17s 93-9 off 22 overs lost to Wellington U-17s 99-5 off 18.3 overs (A. Jones 3-29)
After the opening two rounds Auckland were the team to beat, picking up two outright victories to put them eight points clear of second place Wellington. The team from the capital were looking to make up some ground over Auckland and they sent in Auckland to bat which proved to be a very good decision. Three Auckland players made double figures, but no one was able to anchor the innings. Wellington’s bowlers all had impressive figures, but three bowlers stood out for side from the capital. Dylan Sharma pick up 2-5 from his three overs, Sam Millmow was also economical with 1-11 from his four while Jesse Tashkoff’s 2-24 from five overs seemed a little expensive compared to the rest. Wellington’s fielding was also impressive, taking four catches and enforcing two runs outs to help keep Auckland to 93-9 from 22 overs.
In reply, three batsmen set up Wellington’s chase, with Devon Vishvaka, Jesse Tashkoff and Nick Pile all scoring twenty’s. Auckland’s Adam Jones did pick up three wickets, but it wasn’t enough, as Wellington passed the target during the 19th over.
Otago U-17s 197-4 off 22 overs (L. Johnson 135*) beat Northern U-17s 135-9 off 22 overs (S. Dykes 45, B. Lockrose 3-18, J. Mockford 3-23)
The last match of the round produced an incredible individual performance from Otago’s Llew Johnson. The side from the south were sent into bat against Northern, and their innings wasn’t looking good until Johnson strode to the crease. The New Zealand U-18 representative came in when Otago were 2-11, and he remained throughout the rest of the innings. Firstly, he formed a 156-run partnership with Tom Dempster, and was only broken when Dempster was caught for 28. Johnson bashed the Northern bowling attack to all areas of the field, hitting 13 fours and six sixes during his hour and a half at the crease. He finished the innings with a match winning 135* off just 68 balls.
From the get-go Northern lost wickets during their chase, and sadly for the side from the top of the country the wickets consistently kept falling. Opener Sean Dykes top scored with 45 from 41, but he didn’t get the support needed from his partners, with five of Northern’s top seven unable to reach double figures. New Zealand U-18 representative Ben Lockrose was the star with the ball, taking 3-18 from four overs. Lockrose received good support from Jack Mockford who picked up figures of 3-23 from his three overs.
Round Two
Otago U-17s 159 all out off 72.2 overs (C. Jackson 47, J. Mockford 30, R. Harrison 4-26, S. Keene 3-22) and 105 all out off 50.2 overs (A. Jones 6-13) lost to Auckland U-17s 169-8 declared (R. Harrison 53*, C. Ansell 39, A. Jones 34, J. Mockford 4-25) and 96-7 off 18.3 overs (J. Mockford 3-26)
After a resounding outright victory during the first round of the tournament, Auckland were looking to make it two wins in a row, but Otago weren’t going to make it easy for them. The side from the south batted first, and when they were sitting at 4-17 it looked like Auckland would stroll to victory. However, important contributions from Cameron Jackson and Jack Mockford gave Otago something to bowl at, finally being bowled out for 159. Simon Keene took three wickets, but it was Ryan Harrison that was the star with the ball. The opening bowler was tireless, bowling 15 overs, which was three more than anyone else in his team. From those 15 overs he bowled six maidens, and produced figures of 4-26.
In reply, Auckland were sitting pretty at 1-62, but a quick flurry of wickets meant the game was back in the balance. Mockford was the main wicket taker for Otago, ending the innings with four wickets for 25 runs. Otago were consistently picking up wickets, even at one point having Auckland stuttering at 8-105. The eighth wicket brought together Auckland’s Ryan Harrison and Quinn Sunde, and the pair batted intelligently. Knowing that they had time of their side they took as long as they needed. They put on 63 runs together before Auckland declared on 169-8, with Harrison on 53* off 148, while Sunde ended 21* off 81, leading their side to first innings points.
When Otago began their second innings, it looked as if the match was heading for a draw, but after 35 overs there was almost certainly going to be a victor. Auckland bowler, Adam Jones skittled the Otago batting line-up, taking 6-13 from his 17 overs, leaving Otago at just 56-9. However, it was not the full story, with Otago’s Ben Lockrose and number eleven Tom Dempster put on 49-runs for the last wicket. The pair batted for 15 overs, with Lockrose ending the innings unbeaten on 22*, while Dempster was caught for 29.
Otago’s late flurry of runs meant Auckland’s target would be 96 off around 20 overs, an easy task on paper, but fourth innings pressure can change everything. During the innings’ third over Auckland lost three wickets, including two run outs. Otago kept consistently picking up wickets, leaving Auckland 45-6, but a 35-run partnership between Ryan Harrison and Connor Ansell put Auckland back in charge. Even after Ansell was caught, it was Auckland’s to lose, and Ryan Harrison made sure there was no chance of that, getting to the target during the 19th over.
Central U-17s 227 all out off 75.4 overs (M. Allen 53, F. Moriarty 52, I. Singh 3-57) and 203-6 off 48 overs (K. Weeks 64, A. Gill 40*, G. Cranswick 36, I. Singh 3-40) won first innings points v Northern U-17s 216 all out off 78.4 overs (J. Russ 46, T. Parkes 38, J. Simpson 3-55)
The second match of the round brought together the two ‘districts’, with Northern and Central battling it out on Lincoln 3. Central won the toss and decided to bat first. It looked to be a good decision when they were sitting at 1-69, but they struggled to create partnerships due to some good Northern bowling. Opener Finbar Moriarty set a positive platform for the innings with 52, while Matt Allen top scored with 53. Some decent contributions from the lower order brought the target to over 200, with the last wicket being taken on 227.
Northern’s would have been confident when they sat on 2-113, but some good bowling from Josh Simpson meant it was looking like a first innings victory for Central. Three out of Northern’s top four got starts, but couldn’t push on to a match winning score. Northern’s number nine Caleb Boswell-Smith and number 11 Cam Riley were looking like they might cause an upset, but their 27-run partnership was broken, after Simpson had Riley caught for 11. He finished with figures of 3-55 from his 18.4 overs, playing a large role in Central’s 11 run first innings victory. Central, though, had to work for the points, using nine different bowlers during Northern’s 79 overs at the crease.
Central went back into back, but after 48 overs the match was called a draw.
Wellington U-17s 277 all out off 73.5 overs (O. Petersen 98, S. Millmow 60, H. Howard 3-41, J. Frew 3-50) and 156-7 declared off 45 overs (J. Tashkoff 41, K. Vishaka 40, N. Pile 38*, L. Murray 3-17, H. Howard 3-48) won first innings point against Canterbury U-17s 198-9 declared off 64 overs (O. Wilson 74, M. Hay 57, N. Greenwood 3-32) and 226-8 off 24 overs (R. Syme 69, M. Hay 43*, O. Wilson 38, L. Chapman 31, D. Sharma 3-34, C. Preston 3-39)
Wellington were sitting at 61-6 during their first innings against Canterbury during the rounds final match, but an incredible partnership meant they managed to post well over 200. Earlier on, Jesse Frew had picked up three of Canterbury’s early wickets, while Luke Murray also picked up a couple of wickets. Sam Millmow was joined at the crease by Ollie Petersen and the pair completely turned the match around, putting on 159-runs for the seventh wicket before Millmow was caught off the bowling of Hugo Howard for 60. His knock had produced eight fours and two sixes, while Petersen continued the momentum after Millmow was caught. It was looking like Petersen was heading towards an impressive century, but he was bowled just two runs short. He had batted at a good tick, hitting 14 fours and four sixes during his 133 balls. Howard also picked up Petersen’s wicket, with the Canterbury bowler finishing the innings with figures of 3-41.
It was going to be tough for Canterbury to successfully chase 277, but it was made even harder after captain Ben Hartland was caught off the third ball of the innings. Wickets regularly fell but Hartland’s opening partner, Matt Hay, was looking good before he was caught for 57. Oscar Wilson was the only other batsmen to offer a substantial contribution, scoring 74 before Nick Greenwood managed to sneak one through Wilson’s defence. The number five batted for two and a half hours, facing 153 balls and striking nine fours and two sixes. Greenwood was the standout with the ball, taking 3-32 from his eight overs, leading the Wellington bowling line-up to a first innings victory after Canterbury declared 79-runs short, giving the possibility of an outright victory for either side.
Wellington’s second innings didn’t really get going, while three players got starts, no one really stood up and took control of the innings. Hugo Howard and Luke Murray both picked up three wickets, as Wellington declared at 156-7, meaning Canterbury had 24 overs to score 236.
Their chase didn’t begin well when Hartland was again out early, but Rico Syme and Oscar Wilson scored quickly to give Canterbury a chance. Once Wilson was run out for 38 from 24, Syme was well supported by Louie Chapman who scored 31 from 25. Syme gave his side a chance with a brilliant 69 off 43, including five fours and four sixes, but after he was caught it was that much tougher for Canterbury. Simon Yorston hit 27 from 18, while Matt Hay hit an unbeaten 43 from 25. Wickets weren’t the issue for Canterbury, but they only had an allotted time and eventually time ran out. They finished 226-8 off 24 overs, just ten runs short.
Round One
Auckland U-17s 406-8 declared (C. Ansell 182, A. Jones 111, R. Quinn 38, S. Keene 30, T. Parkes 4-48) beat Northern U-17s 172 all out (S. Dykes 51, L. Dasent 5-30, C. de Beer 3-50) and 100 all out (T. Parkes 30, R. Harrison 4-15, A. Jones 3-25)
The opening round of the National Under 17 Tournament began with an incredible performance from two Auckland batsmen. The second wicket partnership between Ansell and Jones was the backbone of the Auckland innings, putting on 214 runs together. The partnership was broken when Jones was caught for 111, but only after he hit 18 fours and a six. Ansell continued after his partner left, batting incredibly, and his captain only declared their innings once he was caught for 182. He batted for almost five hours and hit 32 fours during his 271 balls. The pick of the bowlers was Parkes after he took four for 48 off his twelve overs.
Northern will resume play on day two at 60-1, with Dykes unbeaten on 35. Dykes added 16 more runs before being caught off the bowling of Lucas Dasent, and it was the first of five wickets for Dasent. The Auckland bowler was ruthless, bowling 23 overs and finishing with figures of 5-30, and was well supported by Carl de Beer who finished off the Northern tail.
Auckland wasted no time enforcing the follow on, and after just 31 overs the side from the City of Sails was celebrating an impressive victory. Dasent picked up two more wickets, but it was Ryan Harrison who was the standout with the ball, taking 4-15 from his six overs. Harrison leading Auckland to a huge victory, winning by an innings and 134 runs.
Otago U-17s 314-8 declared (M. Chu 72, L. Johnson 47, C. Jackson 45, S. Withy 44*, B. Wheeler-Greenall 41*) won first innings points against Canterbury U-17s 289 all out off 102.1 overs (L. Chapman 112, B. Hartland 78, M. Hay, B. Lockrose 5-78, J. Mockford 3-67)
Otago batted first in the clash between the two Southern rivals, Otago and Canterbury. Two early wickets had Otago stuttering at 2-9, but after numerous batsman got starts, New Zealand U-18 representative Max Chu brought his side back into the game. Chu top scored with 72 from 91 balls, hitting 14 boundaries during the process. Even after his good work, Otago were looking at below par score while sitting at 230-8, but an unbeaten 84-run partnership for the ninth wicket put Otago in a position they were comfortable declaring at.
Canterbury only faced six overs before play ended on the first day, with both openers keeping their wicket. Day two began well for Canterbury, putting on 113 for the first wicket before losing both openers. Mitch Hay was caught for 30, while Ben Hartland was bowled for 78, with both batsmen losing their wicket to New Zealand U-18 representative, Ben Lockrose. Louie Chapmen continued Canterbury’s momentum, but he struggled to build partnerships, with no one else in the Canterbury team reaching 15. Chapman batted positively, and kept his concentration even though he was constantly losing partners. Even though the rest of the Canterbury line-up didn’t add a substantial number of runs, they did buy Chapman time, with four of Canterbury’s batsmen putting together 30 runs off 169 balls. Chapman continued scoring until he was finally caught for 112 off 214 balls, giving Otago first innings’ points after he was the final wicket to fall. Lockrose was the main threat with the ball, ending with impressive figures of 5-78 off 36 overs, leading Otago to a 25 run first innings victory.
Wellington U-17s 413-7 declared (T. Campbell 103*, J. Tashkoff 77, K. Vishvaka 55, N. Pile 51, S. Millmow 43, O. Petersen 33*) and 32-3 off five overs declared drew with Central 159-7 off 50 overs declared (F. Moriarty 53, M. Allen 30*, D. Sharma 4-26) and 250-8 off 48 overs (G. Cranswick 77, H. MacDonald 41)
Wellington put themselves in a great position to pick up first innings points during the final clash of round one. Opener VIshaka and captain Pile put Wellington into a strong early position, but it was a partnership between Tashkoff and Campbell that really set up the innings. Tashkoff and Campbell put on 131 runs for the fourth wicket, being broken after Tashkoff was caught for 77. Campbell continued after his partner departed and ended the innings unbeaten on 103. Wellington were happy to declare after Campbell reached his century, giving Central a target of 414 to chase.
Central began the second day 8-0, but after just 50 overs of play they were happy to give up first innings points by declaring. Other than a half-century from Finbar Moriarty, Central struggled to settle at the crease, losing seven wickets for 159 before declaring. Dylan Sharma was Wellington’s top performing bowler, taking 4-26 from his nine overs.
Wellington added 32 from five overs before declaring, setting Central 287 runs to win.
Central would have needed to score at around a run a ball to have a chance of reaching Wellington’s total, meaning it was going to be a tough ask. Opener George Cranswick gave the chase a stable platform, hitting 77 from 95 balls but the rest of the Central batsmen struggled to establish themselves at the crease. Wickets continuingly fell, and with seven overs remaining Wellington only needed two wickets to get an outright victory. However, Central’s number nine and ten remained till the end of play, meaning the match finished in a draw.
