Almost a month ago to the day, Tom Bruce broke the Central Stags’ fourth wicket partnership record for one-day cricket, scoring a career-best century against the Auckland Aces in a 183-run stand with Curtis Heaphy.
Today, he was back at the same place — Eden Park’s cosy Kennards Hire Community Oval — against the same opponent, doing the same thing: rewriting a Central fourth wicket record, this time in first-class (four-day) cricket.
With Dane Cleaver, Bruce broke the long-standing record of 276* that had belonged to the late great Martin Crowe and a fellow former Stags captain, these days CD Cricket operations head, Scott Briasco, since 1986/87, almost four decades ago.
PHOTOSPORT
Bruce and Cleaver slathered on 292 together which is also the second-highest fourth wicket partnership in the history of the Plunket Shield, a competition that began 118 years ago, as well as one of the five highest fourth-wicket stands in all first-class matches in New Zealand, including Tests and visiting teams.
An uncommon mix of elegance and sheer brutality, the experienced Stags skipper ended the day on 212 not out.
That’s the eighth-equal highest score in Stags’ history; surpasses his own previous best of 208 not out in his golden summer of 2021/22; and makes him the first player in the history of his team to score three first-class double centuries - while his more than capable lieutenant Cleaver was dismissed shortly before stumps on 115 after a sharp caught and bowled by Jock McKenzie.
Not a bad day’s work, after having been sent in by the Aces.
Highest men's 4th wicket stands in FC in NZ:
— Francis Payne (@FPayne100) March 5, 2025
369 KS Williamson/HM Nicholls NZ v P 20/21
350 Mushtaq Mohammad/Asif Iqbal P v NZ 72/73
310 JD Ryder/NR Parlane W v C 04/05
302 JE Root/HC Brook E v NZ 22/23
292 TC Bruce/D Cleaver CD v A 24/25#PlunketShield
Central will begin Day Two in Auckland sitting pretty at 414 for four, all four of the first innings batting points already in the bag and in position to dictate terms against the Aces on a flat deck in a quest to regain the Plunket Shield lead.
Bruce also finished as the second-highest run-scorer nationally in this season's men's Dream11 Super Smash (behind Canterbury King Matt Boyle) and was the third highest run-scorer in the national one-day Ford Trophy competition that finished on the weekend.
Down the highway in Hamilton, the top-of-the-table match between Canterbury and Northern Districts was meanwhile hurtling along in this fifth of eight rounds, their own eyes fixed on that championship lead.
Sent in, Northern was dismissed for 278, a total propped up by number four Joe Carter’s 10th first-class century, a knock of 132.
PHOTOSPORT
He shared a century stand for the eighth wicket with allrounder Kristian Clarke in an otherwise lacklustre scorecard that left the hosts with an overnight lead of just 217 after Canterbury had replied with 61/2 before stumps.
Canterbury took all four bowling bonus points, while ND picked up only two with their bats.
Rain devoured the first session in Wellington where the defending champion Firebirds are hosting the Otago Volts, but once proceedings got the chequered flag after lunch, Firebirds captain Tom Blundell lost the toss, got sent in, and sat back to watch run machine Nick Kelly blast yet another century this season — his fourth in the 2024/24 Plunket Shield and putting him second-equal on the Firebirds’ list for most first-class tons in one season.
PHOTOSPORT
Kelly went to stumps unbeaten on 118* in an unbroken century stand with Peter Younghusband (58*) that took the hosts to 297/7 by stumps.
• Livestreaming for all matches is available and free to watch on NZC YouTube here with detailed scores at https://scoring.nzc.nz/ and on the NZC app.
• Play is scheduled to begin each day of the four-day matches at 10.30am, weather permitting.
• Former Northern Districts and Otago Volts batter and captain Brad Wilson is making his first-class umpiring debut in the Auckland Aces-Central Stags match at Kennards Hire Community Oval.
