Aces rue what might have been
THE Auckland Aces have finally got on the board in the Twenty20 Super Smash, beating the Central Stags by 17 runs thanks largely to a pair of fine innings from Mark Chapman and Rob O’Donnell.
Chapman made 73 off 34 balls on his return from a hamstring injury while O’Donnell added 61 off 34 as they set the Stags a target of 200 runs that proved well beyond them in the end at Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday.
Martin Guptill also chipped in with a spectacular one-handed catch while left-arm spinner Louis
Delport made a crucial double strike early once the Aces took the field.
Sean Solia got them off to a fast start with the bat, making 21 off 13, while fellow opener Guptill managed 29 off 31, an innings that will have only added to doubts about his place in the Black Caps’ T20 batting lineup.
Chapman took over after that, hitting nine fours and three sixes in an innings that would have left the Aces wondering how their campaign might have gone had his firepower been available throughout.
It was a strong return from injury nonetheless, and he found solid support from O’Donnell.
The Aces finished up on 199-6 at the end of their 20 overs, with Doug Bracewell taking 2-22 and Blair Tickner taking 2-32 for the Stags, who were looking to move past the Wellington Firebirds at the top of the table with a win.
Delport struck twice in the fourth over and when Black Cap
Ross Taylor was run out for two in the last over of the powerplay, the Stags were 39-2 and the asking rate had climbed to 11. It would climb to 12 as Tom Bruce and Will Young went about the repair job and at the halfway stage they were 80-3, needing 120 off the final 10 overs.
Young fell for 37 off 28 in the 14th over when he was caught at deep square leg sweeping Will Somerville, and with six overs left, they still needed 82.
Bruce was sent on his way the following over, caught by Ben Lister off Ross ter Braak for 52 off 35, and from there the writing was on the wall.
Bracewell hit three sixes on his way to making an unbeaten 32 off 14, but it wasn’t to be.
Delport took with 2-28 from his four overs and ter Braak took
2-31 from his as the Stags finished on 182-7.
They still sit second, level on points with the Firebirds and the Canterbury Kings while the Aces remain last and out of finals contention.
Earlier, in the women’s game, the Central Hinds handed the Auckland Hearts a shock defeat, winning by nine wickets.
It was only their second win of the season, and was enough to lift them over the southerners on net run rate and into fifth on the table.