ROUND EIGHT
Canterbury v Auckland Aces at Mainpower Oval, Rangiora 17-20 March 2018
- Cole McConchie reached 1000 first-class runs
- Ken McClure & Cole McConchie: 4th wicket record partnership for Canterbury v Auckland Aces (200, previously 147 by Curly Page & Ron Talbot in 1930/31)
- Ken McClure: 3rd first-class Century
- Ken McClure: highest first-class Score, previously 193* v Otago Volts
- Ken McClure: First first-class double century, the 14th time a Canterbury player has made a double century and Canterburtu's ninth highest individual score overall
- Cam Fletcher: Highest first-class score, previously 81 v Northern Districts
- Cam Fletcher: Maiden first-class Century
- Ken McClure & Cam Fletcher: 6th wicket record partnership for Canterbury v Auckland Aces 185, previously 172 by LA Butterfield & RCSA Shand in 1945/46.
- Will Williams: Best first-class bowling figures, previously 4/37 v Wellington Firebirds
DAY THREE
The match was abandoned after three overs due to safety concerns.
Craig Cachopa (10*) and Matt McEwan (8*) had resumed for the Aces with the pitch offering some up and down bounce.
McEwan was struck on the helmet by a length ball from Canterbury’s Will Williams and dismissed soon after for 12, the match abandoned two balls later after umpires Ash Mehrotra and John Dempsey made the decision to pull the players from the field.
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DAY TWO
Classy Cantabrian Ken McClure carried on from his day one platform to reach a new career best, and his first Plunket Shield double century.
McClure's 210 (22 x 4) across almost nine hours was the ninth highest score by a Canterbury batsman in the association's long history, and eclipsed his previous best of 193 not out.
The Auckland Aces' day was not about to get better against the competition cellar dwellers, 57/5 in reply at stumps.
DAY ONE
A day of hard graft for the Auckland Aces bowlers kicked off their vital Plunket Shield fixture against Canterbury in Rangiora, the home side finishing day one at 283 for four.
Canterbury had won the toss and elected to bat first and, despite losing Leo Carter (1) early to the returning quick Lockie Ferguson, Chad Bowes (47) and Ken McClure (119) batted well at the top for the now out of contention hosts.
Matt McEwan (1-62) picked up the wicket of Bowes in the 14th over and, when a returning Danru Ferns knocked over Michael Pollard cheaply, the innings was poised with Canterbury 73 for three.
However, McClure and Cole McConchie (99) batted well in the middle session to deny the Aces' bowlers.
Ferns (1-58) and Ferguson (2-40) toiled hard for the visitors and, while they didn’t take bags of wickets, they bowled with good economy to keep their side in the contest.
Ferguson stuck to the task and picked up McConchie just one short of a century in the 89th over.
Andrew Ellis (2*) joined McClure after the number three had scored his third first-class century late in the day, having set a new Canterbury fourth-wicket record against the Aces of exactly 200, beating the long-standing mark of 147 that had been set by Curly Page and Ron Talbot at Christchurch's old Lancaster Park in December 1930.
As cloud descended on Rangiora in the early evening, the umpires decided to call it a day with the players coming off for bad light after 93 overs, McClure set to resume on 119* on day two.
