Magic Kristian with maiden ton

Posted Thursday, 30 October, 2025 in Match Reports

Northern Districts have their first Ford Trophy win on the board after coming back from 55/5 at Pukekura Park, thanks to a breakthrough knock from bowling allrounder Kristian Clarke.

The Central Stags ironically made a much improved start with the ball than in their previous Round One win at this same ground on Saturday - captain Jayden Lennox again won the toss and bowled.

They pouched a string of catches to have all ND in real peril with all the top five back in the pavilion cheaply, before next-gen players Ben Pomare (above, PHOTOSPORT) and Kristian Clarke stopped the rot with an 84-run stand for the sixth wicket.

It not only got Northern back in the game, but set 24-year-old Clarke on his way to his maiden List A century.

Maiden 100 one-day, maiden @BLACKCAPS one-day call-up the next for Kristian Clarke 👏‍👏‍👏‍ pic.twitter.com/4YhS4oXrc9
— #NZIII (@MargotButcher) October 30, 2025

By his own admission, it wasn't a pretty knock.

"It was definitely very grindy at that start; CD were bowling very well," he said afterwards.

"We had to soak up the pressure. But with this ground being one of the smaller ones, if you do stay in, you can 'catch up' at the back end which thankfully happened today."

A burst of unexpected rain interrupted the game at 98/5 when Pomare and Clarke (above, PHOTOSPORT) were just starting to get into a rhythm, Pomare dominating the early stages of their partnership.

The match was adjusted to 49 overs per side when the players got back on, Pomare going on to reach his second Ford Trophy fifty - both against the Stags - off 42 balls.

Allrounder Josh Clarkson (4/42) looked to be on to repeat his first-round maiden bag early doors, and eventually broke the threatening stand - Pomare looking to slap him again, only to feather a caught behind.

Clarke was on 25* at the time. He had watched Pomare (above, PHOTOSPORT) swat four sixes square of the wicket. Now it was Clarke's turn, and he found enough support from the Northern lower order to keep going for the unbeaten ton.

He took a liking to seamer Toby Findlay as he leaned back and carved five sixes - he deposite Clarkson onto the asphalt, the ball bouncing into the lake, leading to the ball being replaced.

The Stags missed Blair Tickner's aggressive pace (Tickner now away with the BLACKCAPS) and shuffled through a trio of spin options, including Brad Schmulian's leggies, trying to stem the late damage or entice a wicket.

But little worked now that the ground was softer, and Northern got away on them to post 271/8. Clarke reached his first century in any format for ND off just 107 balls.

Ajaz Patel | PHOTOSPORT

The Stags' DLS target was adjusted by a fraction to 270, but they soon found themselves in a similar perilous position to Northern: they had 55/5 on the board as well.

The Stags' senior batters did not fire and, excruciatingly for local favourite Tom Bruce, he suffered a second consecutive golden duck at the ground.

Clarke was responsible for it, and he had already removed both openers cheaply as well en route to 3/57.

It was the number five Curtis Heaphy (above, PHOTOSPORT) who gave his side a faint hope as he tried to emulate Clarke's performance.

Heaphy loves a half century at Pukekura Park and added another with his sensible 58* before disaster struck and he limped off the ground with a pulled hamstring.

It halted an eighth-wicket stand with Ajaz Patel (38 off 33) and when Patel fell soon after, nothing was going to stop Northern racing home for the bonus point and their first win this season.