Wellington holds top trophy spot
The Ford Trophy cricket playoffs have been decided after a thrilling final regular season round where every team had plenty to play for.
Wellington and Canterbury were battling to be top qualifiers, Northern Districts were pushing for a home playoff game, and the other three sides were all fighting for a spot in the playoffs.
At the end of a tumultuous day, Wellington held on to top spot, with a Hamish Marshall century enough to chase down Canterbury’s 246 and claim a two-wicket win.
Canterbury still finished second, meaning the two sides will contest a re-match in the major semifinal.
However, with Wellington unable to play at the Basin Reserve due to scheduling conflicts, the game will be taken on the road at a likely neutral venue.
The loser of that clash will get a second chance against the winner of the minor semifinal, in which the redhot Central Districts will host Northern Districts.
CD had won just one of their first six games, but their powerful squad have clicked into gear at the right time. They needed to beat Auckland to qualify for the fourth and final playoff spot, and did one better with a bonus point victory jumping them into third spot on the ladder.
Batting first, Auckland collapsed from 203-3 to slump to 237 all out, giving CD a chance to chase it down within 40 overs for a bonus point on the tiny Pukekura Park ground.
Jesse Ryder’s 54 kick-started the chase, before Will Young (106 not out from 104 balls) and Tom Bruce (70 not out from 53) took over.
At one stage, CD needed 32 off 16 balls to claim the bonus point and Bruce blasted them home with five balls remaining to secure hosting rights.
The chase for quick runs was also relevant in ND’s clash with Otago, with Otago needing a miracle to qualify for the playoffs.
So, when ND posted 288-6 after being sent into bat, Otago went about chasing the total with appropriately reckless abandon.
Anaru Kitchen smashed a remarkable unbeaten 143 from 85 balls as Otago claimed a two-wicket win with an astonishing 16 overs to spare, but it still wasn’t enough to qualify.
The playoffs begin on Saturday.