ROUND SIX
Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 1-4 March 2018
First innings batting bonus points: Canterbury 0 (completed), Wellington Firebirds 0 (completed)
First innings bowling bonus points: Wellington Firebirds 4 (maximum achieved), Canterbury 4 (imaximum achieved)
Result: Wellington Firebirds won by 10 wickets, taking 16 points in all from the game
- ATE Hazeldine: First Class Debut
- AD Ridley: First Class Debut
- GJ Davidson: Australian Exchange Umpire
- IG McPeake: Best Bowling in First Class matches.Previous best 5/50.
- IG McPeake: 2nd and 3rd time taken 5 wickets in an innings in First Class cricket.
- KA Jamieson: 50th First Class Wicket when he dismissed OR Newton in the first innings.
- KA Jamieson: 3rd time taken 5 wickets in an innings in First Class cricket.
- LV van Beek: 5th time taken 5 wickets in an innings in First Class cricket.
- IG McPeake: 1st time taken 10 wickets in a First Class match.
DAY TWO
Logan van Beek's hat-trick was the big talking point as this fast-moving match continued at breakneck speed, netting a result inside just one and a half days.
The morning had started with Canterbury's Kyle Jamieson (5-61) finishing off his own five-wicket bag for Canterbury, his third at this level for his side, Andrew Hazeldine then taking care of fellow debutant Alex Ridley to close the Firebirds' first innings account at 166 just inside the 50-over mark, a lead of 10 runs.
Canterbury's second turn at bat would prove even more alarming, however, as they swiftly found themselves rolled again, this time for 53 in 18.4 overs, their lowest tally since the early 1990s.
Van Beek's hat-trick propelled him towards a career best 5-22, his fifth first-class bag and second this summer, while Kyle Jamieson's desperate and unbeaten 15 down the order was the home team's top individual score, in a scorecard reminiscent of the old days of uncovered pitches.
Iain McPeake meanwhile snared his second five-wicket bag of the match, and just the third of both his career and season, with his 5-21, claiming the final wicket for his first 10-fa in a match (10-51), and his new career best figures in an innings.
The Wellington Firebirds now knew they needed just 44 runs for outright points, and even after the chaotic events of the previous day and a bit at the crease that ultimately proved no difficulty for openers Luke Woodcock and Michael Papps this time around, sealing an unusual 10-wicket win in ample time.
DAY ONE
Iain McPeake's star continues to rise for frontrunners the Wellington Firebirds after his second first-class five for of the season, starting the resumption of the Plunket Shield on the right foot with a career best performance away against the defending champions.
McPeake, in his third summer of whites, added to his maiden five-for against the Stags earlier this season by ripping out Canterbury's dangerous late middle order, before getting tailend debutant Andrew Hazeldine for a golden duck to complete his bag.
Four bonus points in that bag also was just the ticket for the competition frontrunners as they returned to the red ball after having been promptly sent in by Firebirds captain Michael Bracewell on what quickly looked to be a result deck.
Canterbury captain Andrew Elllis had to fight hard for the top score of 43, his side in deep trouble early at 86 for five. Opener Chad Bowes (44) was the only other substantial score in Canterbury's 156 all out, becoming McPeake's first victim at 59 for four after Ollie Newton (3-38) had taken care of all three of his batting partners.
It had taken just 52 overs to put the Cantabrians all back in the shed but the boot was quickly on the other foot at Hagley Oval, Kyle Jamieson and Hazeldine relishing the conditions.
Jamieson removed both the openers, the huge wickets of Luke Woodcock and Michael Papps, as well as number four Bracewell inside the first nine overs to have the visitors reeling 20 for three.
Ellis then ensured dangerous Tom Blundell was caught behind early, leaving first drop Stephen Murdoch to battle away for his 38 before becoming Hazeldine's maiden wicket, yorked right on middle stump.
By the end of a busy day on which 18 wickets tumbled, the Firebirds were 133 for eight and yet to overtake Canterbury's own efforts on the board. McPeake now found himself with bat in hand, and went to stumps with an unbroken 23-run partnership with Peter Younghusband; Jamieson meanwhile on the cusp of a five-for himself with 4-41.
Alex Ridley made his first-class debut for the Firebirds.
