2024/25
ROUND THREE
CENTRAL STAGS defeated WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS by 9 wickets
McLean Park, Napier
28 November-1 December 2024
POINTS IN THIS ROUND:
Central Stags: 18
Wellington Firebirds: 6
Otago Volts: 7
Northern Districts: 8
Auckland Aces: 5
Canterbury: 5
SELECTED MILESTONES
All images: PHOTOSPORT
Dane Cleaver: 5,000 first-class runs (all teams)
Brad Schmulian: 3,000 first-class runs
SNAPSHOT:
Defending title-holders the Wellington Firebirds headed to Napier still looking for their first win of the 2024/25 first-class season, entering the third of eight rounds.
Both teams had returning BLACKCAPS, after the end of the Sri Lanka white-ball tour: Tim Robinson coming in for the Firebirds, Josh Clarkson for the Stags - together with paceman Brett Randell who crucially returned from first round hamstring strain for the hosts.
Things were evenly poised until seven wickets in a session on the final morning of the match saw the Central Stags compound the defending champion's winless start to the first-class summer.
DAY ONE
On a week that promised sweltering conditions, Firebirds captain Nick Kelly won the toss and batted, while the Stags seemed to relish their work in the field.
By lunch, the visitors were five down with not quite their first 100 runs on the board, while the hosts had suffered a setback of their own with Clarkson pulling up with a lame hammy after just 1.5 overs at second change.
Prolific wicket-taker Ray Toole | MBUTCHER
Stags left-armer Ray Toole had again shown himself to be a canny wicket-taker, removing both Kelly and Mo Abbas cheaply before lunch, before spinner Ajaz Patel got his first wicket courtesy of a good backwards-running catch from slip, by Jack Boyle, to remove Callum McLachlan at 97/5.
Twenty-two-year-old Robinson was meanwhile straight into the office, rolling out a half century at the top before lunch, and looking on for a second first-class career century in the middle session - if enough teammates could stick around.
Robinson was a big wicket for the second left-arm spinner in Central's line-up, Jayden Lennox.
Lennox had already tricked Logan van Beek into skying, into the stratosphere, a return catch at 141/6, and now, just a few overs later, Robinson was on his way for 92 after having been bowled by another slick delivery that turned and found his off-stump: 154/7.
PHOTOSPORT
The Firebirds went to tea at 181/8, right after Patel had swooped and pouched another lofted edge to end Peter Younghusband's hour-long stay on 23, to expose the tail after the break.
But the tail was a stubborn one, and frustrated the Stags and their former teammate Liam Dudding and Michael Snedden hung around for some useful runs.
They batted together for 158 deliveries, getting their team their first batting bonus point in the process of a niggly 50-run stand for the ninth wicket.
They got to 231/8 before Tickner, steam blowing from his nostrils, finally removed Dudding, caught behind on 29. Snedden now sensed the urgency and danced down the wicket to plant Patel for six back over his head, with a fourth batting point still on the cards.
He took care of that with a single off Lennox (3/53), with the declaration coming the very next ball. Snedden had contributed an unbeaten 41 in his two-and-a-half hour knock, the Firebirds done at 251/9 declared.
Now five overs remained in the day, the Stags navigating them safely to seven for no loss by stumps.
DAY TWO
Dane Cleaver had headed into this match already with a big century on this ground followed by a half ton in Nelson.
Now the experienced keeper-batter stepped up the plate again, unbeaten with another half ton by the time bad light ended play for the day.
But at 233/7, he was running out of support, and there were still a few runs to tick off to get a lead.
Even Stevens? Pretty much.
PHOTOSPORT
The Firebirds had chipped away, the Stags handily positioned at 100/2 by lunch but losing a further two wickets in the middle session for the addition of only 89 runs.
Van Beek (4/50) was leading the way yet again, but he had good support in the innings from James Hartshorn (2/43) and Michael Snedden (2/53) in an ultimately collective display.
DAY THREE
A precipitous cold front saw play delayed until the early afternoon, the Stags eventually taking their first innings from 233/7 to 302 and a first innings lead of 51.
To get there, Josh Clarkson had literally walked a single that on any other day would have been a three, batting on one leg at the end of the order with Cleaver, the team nine down by now.
Dane Cleaver showed his first-class experience | MBUTCHER
Cleaver's good form had continued, coasting past his half century at the same ground upon which he'd scored an unbeaten 151* two weeks earlier.
Now he reached a measured 89 off 181 balls, arguably as important a knock in the grand scheme of things, before Firebirds leggie Peter Younghusband denied teammate Logan van Beek another bag by claiming Cleaver as the last to fall.
Clarkson (right) batted bravely on one leg | Photo: Gavin Toole
The Firebirds got a rocky start to their second dig, Blair Tickner crushing out two early wickets in his opening spell to put Tim Robinson and Gareth Severin back in the hutch early.
Nick Kelly was in good form | PHOTOSPORT
But there was plenty of time for the Firebirds to settle, and by the end of the day they had reached 131/3 with captain Nick Kelly on the cusp of a half century.
DAY FOUR
The Stags came out with all guns blazing on the final morning of the match, fired up by the knowledge that this was the 74th anniversary of the first day the Stags had taken the field in this competition - also against Wellington, at the Cello Basin Reserve in 1950.
By lunch, Stags alumni would have been proud of the ticker shown as they packaged up the seven remaining Firebirds wickets in the morning session, and got themselves into position to deliver a second outright at McLean Park this season.
Ajaz Patel made sure the Firebirds tail did not get a chance to get away on this time when he took the final wicket to close the visitors' account at 217 all out in 76 overs.
Brett Randell | PHOTOSPORT
In the meantime, strike pacemen Blair Tickner (4/52 off 22 overs) and Brett Randell (3/44 off 14) had done a sterling job of filling the gap in the attack left by the injured Josh Clarkson.
The winning target was now a mere 167, with two sessions to get them in the Hawke's Bay sunshine.
The Firebirds were meanwhile left pondering how they had managed to collapse from an overnight position of 131/3 in 49 overs, in-form Nick Kelly quickly running out of support by the time he became the penultimate wicket, trying to pull against Tickner only to be caught behind on 85.
The Stags quickly lost Jack Boyle to James Hartshorn in response, but the odds were stacked high in their favour.
The sun was streaming again, and Curtis Heaphy and Brad Schmulian both posted half centuries as they whittled the chase down with an unbroken century stand.
Job done | Photo: Gavin Toole
At 20 to six on the last afternoon, the last runs were ticked off, and the Stags banked another 18 points to clamber back up the ladder.
