ROUND 10 of 10
CENTRAL STAGS beat WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS by 2 runs
23 February 2025
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Points: Central Stags 4, Wellington Firebirds 0
Central Stags qualify for Ford Trophy Elimination Final
All images: Photosport
SELECTED MILESTONES
Umpire Wayne Knights : 100 List A matches as on-field umpire
Logan van Beek : 100 List A matches (all teams)
Josh Clarkson : 2,000 List A career runs
Muhammad (Mo) Abbas : maiden List A century
Jayden Lennox : career-best List A bowling (4/52)
Brad Schmulian (below) : career-best List A bowling (3/39)
In a showdown for the last spot in The Ford Trophy Elimination Final, the Firebirds were in control for most of this crunch clash - until a late spinning fightback from the hosts ruined Wellington's day.
The Otago Volts, Firebirds and Stags were all competing for the last available Elimination Final berth, five of the six teams still alive o the final afternoon..
But the result of this match could dictate terms and, after Firebirds captain Nick Kelly won the toss and sent the Stags in, they had the better of most of the game.
Just not the bits that mattered.
Ex-Stags Adam Milne (0/7 off three overs) and Liam Dudding opened the attack against their old team, Dudding (3/55) getting two big early wickets in Dane Cleaver and Brad Schmulian.
But Kelly was thrown a curve ball when Milne had to exit three overs into his opening spell with a grumpy hamstring, forcing the captain to lean on Jesse Tashkoff in conjunction with Peter Younghusband through the middle.
From 13/2, the Stags initially recovered thanks to a 92-run partnership between Jack Boyle and Tom Bruce, on an arid-looking Pukekura Park sporting a fast, sun-browned outfield.
Bruce punched up his half century with a six into the terraces, off just 36 balls after drinks, and looked on song for a significant innings at his home ground.
He lost Boyle (30) just after they had got the first hundred runs on the scoreboard, Younghusband striking in his second over of the day.
It was young Jesse Tashkoff who got the big one. Bruce was stopped in his tracks after a 54-ball 73, caught by the keeper at 135/4.
When Tashkoff quickly removed Curtis Heaphy off his following over, the pendulum swung back to the Firebirds.
Allrounders Will Clark and Josh Clarkson built a mini-recovery of 28 runs, but the Firebirds were managing to limit the damage, now.
Clarkson went on to a 50-stand with his captain Jayden Lennox, but the Firebirds finished them off with a flurry of wickets, the Stags all out in Logan van Beek's 49th over after the allrounder went bang-bang for his brace.
In front of a good Sunday crowd at their most boutique ground, the Stags needed a strong reply with the ball, and they got a great start.
Leading the attack, Brett Randell removed both Tim Robinson and first drop Gareth Severin for no score: the Firebirds were 3/2, the ledger evening slightly.
Tashkoff kept going and raced to 23, but he became the third wicket when Lennox brilliantly ran him out from midwicket, with just one stump to aim at.
The Stags had their visitors 37/3 in the seventh now, but a splendid 159-run partnership between Mo Abbas and Kelly saw the hosts' chins go down over the ensuing 24 overs.
The stand took the Firebirds well ahead of their required rate and, for all intents and purposes, they were cruising.
Abbas was enjoying his first ever visit to the unique venue, and reached his 50 off 56 balls. Kelly followed suit, off just 40 balls, an attractive pairing.
With left-arm paceman Ray Toole missing his length, they had cashed in. Toby Findlay found some swing, but Lennox was running out of options and turned to part-time leg-spinner Brad Schmulian in the 29th over, when the Firebirds were 194/3.
Abbas had been a delight to watch. The young allrounder reached his maiden one-day century off just 115 balls, dancing down the wicket to Schmulian and clocking it up with his third six.
But by then, things had started to unravel for the rest of the Firebirds. Milne was now in the middle with him, ginger on his tweaked hamstring and the burden squarely on Abbas.
Kelly had been caught behind off Schmulian's second over on 86. Lennox removed Tom Blundell cheaply a few overs later, at 222/5.
Still, not far away from their target, with wickets in hand. The home crowd was fairly quiet.
The volume started to go up when Schmulian struck again, three balls later: six down.
And then Lennox got rid of the experienced Logan van Beek for just one run in the following over: 230/7.
Younghusband swiftly followed, Lennox leaping to take the catch off Schmulian at 237/8.
Abbas was still there, and the Firebirds needed just a further 15 runs to win, with oceans of time to do it.
But oceans of wickets they did not have, anymore. Abbas sensed the urgency and pelted Schmulian for six, 11 runs coming off the 39th over that had cost Younghusband his wicket.
But in the next, Lennox's dot-ball pressure lured him into reaching for a widish delivery, only to spoon a catch out to Brett Randell in the deep.
Abbas walked off to applause from the Pukekura gallery, gutted with the end of his innings at 245/9. Now the last man, Liam Dudding - not a prolific scorer of runs, and the injured Milne were exposed.
Between them, they found six more singles off the next nine balls, and you could have cut the air with a knife.
The target was within fingertip reach. Four more runs were all that was needed as Lennox took the ball for the 42nd over and wrapped it in the fingers behind his back.
The first ball was a single to Milne, and Dudding braced himself for the next ball, leaning forward in defence.
But it popped up. And waiting under the catch was Jack Boyle, as the home crowd went wild. The Stags had come from nowhere to reclaim the match, and squeak into the Ford Trophy Finals by just two runs.
The Stags win simultaneously knocked out the Volts, and kept Central's dream of winning all three titles alive.
