ROUND 8 of 10
AUCKLAND ACES beat Northern District by 71 runs
- bonus point win -
14 February 2025
Kennards Hire Community Oval, Auckland
Points: Auckland Aces 5, Northern Districts 0
Finn Allen and Beauden Barrett were among the interested spectators
All images: PHOTOSPORT
The Auckland Aces were trumps again after reclaiming the top rung of The Ford Trophy ladder and becoming the first team to book a spot in the Finals, while Northern Districts suffered a fatal blow to their own one-day campaign - becoming the first side to bow out of contention.
The result took the Aces two points ahead of Canterbury who meanwhile lost to the Central Stags.
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Sent in at their home ground by their immediate neighbours, for a periods of the game the Auckland Aces looked like they were about to become seriously unstuck.
But just when it seemed Northern Districts was getting on top, someone or other from the Aces' handy line-up - which now included Jimmy Neesham, back from overseas exploits - would stand up and fight back to good effect.
The drama in this see-sawing match began early, when four top Aces wickets fell for no addition to the scorecard across the eighth and ninth overs.
A score of 36/0 became 36/4 in the blink of an eye after a devastating triple-wicket maiden by Northern allrounder Brett Hampton (3/46) in that brutal eighth over of the day.
Hampton was coming off a good performance with the ball in the previous round and, in his unassuming manner, always seems to find a way to make a difference, whether with ball or swinging bat.
However, the Aces’ middle order of dependable Cam Fletcher (anchoring the rebuild with his patient 66), crisp-hitter Bevon Jacobs (a run-a-ball 45) and Neesham (51 blasted off only 39 balls, in his first match back for the Aces in 2025) reconstituted the home team's innings.
A double strike from Kristian Clarke in the penultmate over eventually stopped the clock at 230 all out, but it was a commendable and calm-headed recovery by the Aces rearguard from the heap they had been in.
It was almost tit for tat in the chase, a ditto innings, as Northern suffered a horror start of their own in what should have been a comfortable chase on the outer oval of Eden Park.
But they lost their own top four batters for a cumulative contribution of just 16 runs, incluing the returning Tim Seifert after his strong season in the Big Bash.
Angus Olliver was a big part of their problem. He put himself on an unconverted hat-trick in the third over — a double-wicket maiden with the wickets of Joe Carter and Seifert, both dismissed for no score.
Neesham got the key wicket of captain Jeet Raval (36, after trying to get his side back in the game) and he followed up to finish with 2/32 off his eight overs for a decent all-round day.
The Aces pocketed the win in the 43rd over, collecting a bonus point to take them to a two-point margin over Canterbury on the table, with two rounds remaining.
The result was a disaster for Northern who become the first team to formally drop out of contention for the finals coming up at the end of the month.
