Hail the unsung heroes
Unlikely saviours guide Firebirds to one-day title
The Wellington Firebirds’ Ford Trophy win produced some unlikely heroes.
Chasing 235 to beat the Otago Volts in Dunedin on Saturday, they found themselves in trouble at 75-5 with one ball to come in the 17th over.
Walking to the crease was Peter Younghusband, a man with 146 career one-day runs; set to come in next was Lauchie Johns, a man with with 85 career oneday runs; after him, Ollie Newton, a man with 118 carer one-day runs; then Ian McPeake, with 55, and captain Hamish Bennett, with 99.
Having been 57-7 at a similar stage in their innings, the Volts could suddenly sniff a win, but it wasn’t to be, as the Firebirds’ tail stood up when needed the most and got the job done.
Established batsman Malcolm Nofal was at one end, but he didn’t put all the weight on his own shoulders. He trusted those around him and they repaid that trust in spades.
Younghusband made 49, sharing in an 118-run stand with Nofal for the sixth wicket that got the Firebirds within sight of their target.
Johns finished unbeaten on 24, one shy of his highest one-day score, taking over when Nofal departed for 73, offering a simple catch to mid off with Wellington needing 23 more runs off 22 balls.
That was when Newton came in and made seven, hitting the winning runs.
‘‘It was tough,’’ Younghusband said afterwards. ‘‘I haven’t scored a lot of runs and that was a hell of a time to get some, to be honest.
‘‘We kept telling ourselves that the wicket wasn’t actually playing that bad.
‘‘Their spinners bowled well, they put us under a lot of pressure and we soaked up a few dots there, but we figured if they bowled out, the seamers were a bit easier to play.’’
That the Volts were even in the match at the halfway stage was impressive.
Staring down the barrel at 57-7, two of their bowlers – Michael Rippon and Christi Viljoen – came together for an 146-run stand, scoring 82 and 87 not out respectively as they posted a competitive total.
The win gave the Firebirds their eighth domestic one-day title. Next up are two rounds of the Plunket Shield first-class competition, starting on December 8.