Auckland Aces 238 all out after 49.5 overs (Donovan Grobbelaar 51, Tim McIntosh 39, Michael Bates 30) beat the Otago Volts 165 all out after 39.2 overs (Hamish Rutherford 33, Michael Bates 3-28 and Tipene Friday 3-49) by 73 runs
The Auckland Aces picked up an important 73 run win over the Otago Volts at Eden Park no.2 to go just one point behind the second placed Canterbury Wizards on the Ford Trophy points table. A knock of 51 from Donovan Grobbelaar pushed the Aces to 238 in the first innings and it would prove to be more than enough, with the bowlers then dismissing the Volts for 165 after 39.2 overs.
It was a case of the Aces top-order making plenty of starts, but without an anchor the hosts looked in danger of being all out well within their 50 overs. Fortunately though the lower-order produced a strong end to the innings, with Grobbelaar and Michael Bates (30) elevating them to a competitive total, before losing their final wicket with a ball to go.
Bates involvement had only just begun though, with the 30 year-old helping dismantle the Volts before they had a chance to threaten the total. Starts from Hamish Rutherford (33), Jesse Ryder (21) and Sam Wells (30) gave them some hope, but the southerners lost wicket at key moments and they weren’t able to recover. Bates (3-28) and Tipene Friday (3-49) led the bowling attack, while Grobbelaar and Colin de Grandhomme took two wickets apiece.
