2024/25
ROUND EIGHT
CENTRAL STAGS defeated the AUCKLAND ACES by 9 wickets
Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North
29-31 March 2025
(fourth day not required)
POINTS IN THIS ROUND:
Central Stags: 17
Auckland Aces: 4
Northern Districts: 20
Otago Volts: 3
Wellington Firebirds: 18
Canterbury: 6
SELECTED MILESTONES
Blair Tickner - 200 first-class wickets for the Stags, 6th first-class five-wicket bag (5/30)
Blair Tickner - Best first-class match figures (8/48)
Lachie Stackpole - maiden first-class wicket
Curtis Heaphy - 1,000 first-class career runs
All images: MBUTCHER
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SNAPSHOT:
In the only dead rubber of the final round of the 2024/25 Plunket Shield, the Central Stags finished on a top note.
They continued their domination of Auckland, this time beating the Aces with a day to spare as the spinners - and a rejuvenated Blair Tickner, enjoying his return from a frustrating late season injury - starred with the ball with an outstanding display and eight wickets on a pitch that favoured the spinners over seam.
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DAY ONE
Greeted by a cornflower-blue sky for the toss on Day One, Auckland Aces captain Cam Fletcher elected to bat, with the pitch expected to turn later in the match.
The Stags had their most experienced pace bowler, Blair Tickner, finally back from a bicep injury, a welcome return for the team that had already lost their other frontline opening bowler, Brett Randell, to a broken collarbone.
All images: MBUTCHER
Tickner's experience and heavy ball made a big dfference at the top, and he made the opening breakthrough early in the first session - the Aces' youngster Lachie Stackpole knocked over without scoring.
However, the session would develop into a frustrating one for the Stags with two confident appeals against Will O'Donnell - from Tickner and left-armer Ray Toole respectively - turned down as the visitors recovered to 69/1 by lunch.
Opener O'Donnell led the way for Auckland, eventually reaching his team's top score of 71.
By lunch, he'd got 41 of those runs in a promising stand with Sid Dixit, but he lost his partner when Tickner (3/18 off 13 overs) found the edge of Dixit's bat early in the middle session.
The big pace bowler's 200th Plunket Shield wicket for his team arrived soon after, rookie Nathan Robinson caught behind.
Yet that would prove to be the last wicket to fall to seam in the innings, as the spinners took over on a deck that offered them some encouragement, under the expert care of groundsman Andy May.
The sun continued to beam through the big blue as Mike Sclanders (34) got a partnership going with O'Donnell.
But Angus Schaw - the same nemesis who had taken three quick wickets in Auckland, after having come on as a concussion sub in that record-stattering match for the Stags - did the same trick again against the Aces, this time as a starter.
O'Donnell departed first, at 128/4, nicking to Curtis Heaphy at slip.
Captain Fletcher popped one up to the same fielder a few overs later, this time off left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox who continued to relish his senior responsibilities in the absence of the injured BLACKCAP Ajaz Patel.
When Schaw bowled Sclanders soon after, the Aces were put on notice.
They scrabbled through to 184 all out, Lennox finishing with 4/60 as he continued his wicket-taking ways, and Schaw 3/27.
Central's elevated mood was just as quickly brought down a peg, after the tricky period before stumps did not go smoothly.
Big Matt Gibson tore in and found some handy in-swing, removing both opener Brad Schmulian and first drop Jack Boyle cheaply, before the Stags had got going.
It was just the start the Aces had wanted, 25/2, and the chance of another wicket or two yet, before the day was done.
But young Heaphy knuckled down to be 23* by the end of the day, with captain Tom Bruce 8* showing similar restraint to reach 42/2 in the 17 overs.
DAY TWO
The Stags resumed, trailing by 142.
Bruce had been enjoying himself in recent years against Auckland, in this format: he had headed into the match averaging more than 100 against the Aces, and had scored Central's all-time record individual score of 345 on the dead track in Auckland a few weeks earlier.
But this time, on an overcast morning, the hosts lost Bruce early - Gibson, again. He would finish with 3/34.
The shockwave was almost audible, Bruce out against Auckland.
But a 90-run partnership flourished between Heaphy and Dane Cleaver to quickly settle down the first session again.
Both men reached their half centuries, in contrasting styles.
Normally an attractive strokemaker, Heaphy - under the weather - gritted his teeth and looked to occupy and anchor, ultimately facing 164 balls for his resilient 51.
Heaphy became part-time spinner Lachie Stackpole's maiden wicket in this format.
Stackpole (2/12) would have a hand in denying Cleaver another shot at a third first-class ton for the summer when Cleaver was on 70, and scooped a catch out to him off Dixit, at 166/5.
The Aces were fighting back with their own spin, and when Schaw was run out amid a clump of late wickets, the Stags almost blew their good chance to take a first innings lead.
A late rally from Lennox got them to 200 for a sole batting bonus point, with a lead of just 35 runs on the first innings before Stackpole came back for Lennox to dismiss Central for 219.
The Aces were now right in the game, but that changed quickly in a calamitous last session.
Two early wickets to Blair Tickner and Joey Field - who struck with just his second delivery - had the visitors 5/2.
By stumps, that had stabilised to 62/6 after the spinners took hold of proceedings again, Fletcher still as his post for the visitors and urgently needing a partnership.
DAY THREE
Another fine morning dawned in Palmerston North on what would soon turn out to be the last day of the season for the two out of contention teams.
Tickner did the job with the ball for his side,ensuring there was no drawn out fightback. He rustled up four wickets in the morning sessions before there was even time to make a toasted sandwich, racing to 5/30 off just 11.3 overs to cap off his successful return from the frustrating injury lay-off.
The Stags had missed him. His efforts left just a 56-run chase for the batters which was ticked off with two and a half sessions to spare, for the loss of just one wicket.
The Stags had won handsomely, but would have to settle for a disappointing fourth on the ladder after an up and down campaign, while the Aces were destined for the wooden spoon for 2024/25 after a tough summer and too many drawn results at home.
