Clarkson guides Stags to comeback win
Spectacular late hitting from Josh Clarkson saw the Central Stags claim a Ford Trophy win over Northern Districts in Hamilton on Sunday.
Northern looked assured of a win in the domestic one-day cricket competition encounter at Seddon Park until Clarkson slammed an unbeaten 48 off 24 balls batting at No 7 to give the hosts victory by two wickets with five balls to spare.
The two other Trophy matches scheduled for Sunday - the Wellington Firebirds against the Auckland Aces at the Basin Reserve in Wellington and the Otago Volts against Canterbury in Dunedin - were abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Auckland kept their lead atop the points table with 11 point, one ahead of Wellington, while Central’s first win saw them climb off the bottom of the ladder.
The Duckworth/Lewis method played a major role in the third round encounter as Central’s initial chase for 267 for victory was delayed and then altered by intermittent showers. The longest break came when the visitors were 68-2 after 17.2 overs and when play restarted at 6:27pm, the Stags needed another 132 runs from 15.4 overs.
Scott Kuggeleijn had earlier picked up the big wicket of Jesse Ryder for 31 and Sodhi bowled Will Young in the same over play resumed. Sodhi and wicketkeeper Tim Seifert combined to get rid of Black Caps Twenty20 rookie Tom Bruce soon after, while Ben Smith’s tardiness (36 off 63 balls) on a rain-affected afternoon did CD no favours.
However, Clarkson and Seth Rance (32 off 19) made a late charge when almost all seemed lost. They added 64 for the eighth wicket in rapid time to swing the game completely.
Not wanted for the New Zealand one-day side for the upcoming series against Australia despite his recent Twenty20 exploits with the Adelaide Strikers and the Black Caps, Sodhi took 2-28 off seven accurate overs but when his spell was over, ND were unable to contain Clarkson.
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell ended unbeaten on 93, made from just 85 balls, as ND overcame a staggering start to post 266-6 off their 50 overs. It was a typical knock from the middleorder batsman - a cautious start, some running between the wickets woes and latterly a string of powerful blows (four sixes and seven fours) as his innings became the mainstay of a useful ND total.
Seifert made Central’s chase tougher as he thumped 38 off 29 balls including a six out of the park which CD’s Dane Cleaver and Rance later matched - as he and Mitchell added 75 for the sixth wicket in less than 10 overs.
Left-hander Nick Kelly helped ND dig their way out of an early hole with a fluent 57 off 77 balls, which featured six fours, but he fell when well-poised to make a substantial contribution. Skipper Dean Brownlie also was unable to post a big score after getting to 47 off 68 balls but was less to blame for his own downfall after a short single called for by batting partner Mitchell left him short.
Rance was the pick of the visiting bowlers, with his 2-53 off 10 overs not reflective of the quality of his work.