ROUND 5 of 10
NORTHERN DISTRICTS lost to AUCKLAND ACES by five wickets
- bonus point win -
3 November 2024
Seddon Park, Hamilton
Points: Northern Districts 0, Auckland Aces 5
All images: PHOTOSPORT
SELECTED MILESTONES
- Stu Martin: List A Umpire debut
- Northern Districts: 400th List A fixture
The Auckland Aces have extended their newfound Ford Trophy lead courtesy of a cracking bonus-point run chase in Hamilton, keeping them in pole as the competition breaks for the 2024 calendar year.
All the teams will be back in one-day mode on Waitangi Day 2025, when leaders the Aces will be looking to continue their winning momentum.
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Captain Finn Allen won the toss and bowled at Seddon Park, his side conspiring to dismiss the hosts for 248 on a pleasant enough day for it.
That was despite another solid knock from Henry Cooper - the ND number four top-scoring with 86, studded with seven boundaries and three sixes.
Cooper had top support from another heavy hitter in Brett Hampton, the pair sharing a century stand for the fifth wicket that reached 114 runs.
Hampton blasted 64 at better than run-a-ball, but the problem for ND was that, bar brisk starts from openers Fergus Lellman and Katene Clarke, almost no one else got runs.
Fresh off his maiden List A bag, Simon Keene had broken through for the Aces at 43/1 in the sixth over with the wicket of Clarke (27), and wily Jimmy Neesham (3/29 in a strong all-round performance) got Lellman (28) in the ninth.
Spinner Louis Delport (3/56) then struck in each of his first two overs of the day to push the hosts onto the back foot at 70/4.
The Cooper/Hampton fightback began, and it lasted until the 33rd when Adi Ashok enticed a skier off Hampton, Neesham in the action again as he took a well judged catch.
ND needed to continue to be bold through the death, but regular wickets ultimately prevented them from batting out their 50 - Neesham finishing off the innings in the 48th over, and Sean Solia also chiming in with handy late order wickets.
Allen got the reply off to a cracking start with a boundary off the first ball, driving Neil Wagner to the rope twice in the first three balls.
But that only fired up Wagner more, and he struck back with Solia caught behind for no score off his final delivery of the set.
Allen soon lost new partner Will O'Donnell as well, well caught by his brother Robbie O'Donnell in the slips off Scott Kuggeleijn at 21/2.
Mike Sclanders stuck around as Allen began peppering a few sixes around the park in their quick 56-run stand, the skipper reaching a half ton off just 27 balls.
But they fell within minutes of each other, and ND had a shot at two fresh batters.
Neesham (69 off 54 balls) and Cam Fletcher were an experienced proposition, however, and steadied things, and then some, with a 110-run stand for the fifth wicket.
They held together the chase for almost 15 overs and, by the time they were prised apart, the Aces were 187/5.
Fletcher carried on undefeated to bring home the victory with a hand of 67* off 62 ball.
The Aces racking up another win and the bonus point to boot in the 36th over just five down, thereby maintaining their hold on the top rung of the ladder.
