The Auckland Aces confirmed their place at the top of the HRV Cup points table by winning the final at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland. This was the Aces third triumph in the seven years the competition has been running. They have also been losing finalists, twice so have been the dominant team throughout the HRV Cup to date.
This is reflected is the win/loss ratios of the teams. Over the seven seasons Auckland has a win/loss ratio of 2.77 ahead of the Canterbury Wizards with 1.19. All the other teams are at less than one with Central Stags (0.96), Otago Volts (0.77), Wellington Firebirds (0.63) and Northern Knights (0.62).
Azhar Mahmood and Martin Guptill shared their fourth half-century partnership of the season to give the Aces a strong start to which Guptill and Anaru Kitchen added another 71, a record second wicket partnership for the Aces against the Wizards.
Martin Guptill took his season aggregate to 504, well ahead of Ross Taylor's former mark of 383. Azhar Mahmood finished the season with 331 runs, also better than Lou Vincent's old Aces season record of 290 runs.
The margin of victory was 44 runs, comfortably a record between these two teams where the winning margins have been close over the seven seasons they have played each other. The Aces previous largest win was by 15 runs.
Only a cameo knock from Andrew Ellis as he shared a record seventh wicket partnership with Brendon Diamanti kept the Wizards from suffering a larger defeat. Both teams ended up hitting six sixes with Ellis hitting five for the Wizards.
Michael Bates finished with 3 for 18, the best bowling figures for the Aces against the Wizards to take his season total to fourteen to finish level top wicket-taker with Roneel Hira. Rob Nicol finished next with thirteen followed by Kyle Mills and Andy McKay with twelve each.
Anaru Kitchen picked up another couple of catches to take his season tally to ten, equalling Peter Fulton's season record set last season. Rob Nicol picked up another outstanding boundary catch to finish just one behind him.
