Munro blasts rapid century
Black Caps one-day specialist Colin Munro provided the pyrotechnics in the latest round of the Ford Trophy in Christchurch yesterday. The big-hitting left-hander made a blistering century as Auckland romped home over Northern Districts in the penultimate round of the domestic one-day competition while Otago closed the gap at the top of the table on Wellington.
ND v Auckland
Black Caps one-day specialist Colin Munro proved a useful bonus for the Aces.
Not wanted by the Black Caps test team against Pakistan following the Twenty20 and ODI matches in the UAE, Munro destroyed the ND bowling as Auckland won by five wickets on the DLS method to climb into a playoff spot.
The left-hander slammed seven sixes and 17 fours as he made 143 off only 93 balls opening the innings. He reached his ton from just 65 balls – one of the quickest centuries in Trophy history.
Earlier, all-rounder Scott Kuggeleijn gave ND’s innings the impetus it required when he made 75 not out off just 57 balls batting at No 8.
Kuggeleijn came to the crease with Northern struggling at 141-6 in the 31st over and sparked a rearguard recovery.
He blasted six sixes and two fours as ND made 275-8 in their 50 overs.
ND 275-8 (S Kuggeleijn 75no, P Bocock 51; R Hira 3-62) lost to Auckland 246-5 in 36.1 overs (C Munro 143) by five wickets under the DLS method.
Canterbury v Otago
Otago paceman Jacob Duffy took a career-best 6-35 as the Volts scored a tense four-wicket win over Canterbury.
The 24-year-old struck throughout after the hosts won the toss and chose to bat and shared the individual honours for the victors with veteran opener Brad Wilson.
Wilson made 126 off 140 balls to anchor Otago’s chase and a quickfire 37 from Michael Rippon helped the Volts get home with four wickets and two balls to spare.
Earlier, opener Chad Bowes set up Canterbury for a big tally by making his first century of a highly productive oneday campaign. Bowes struck 11 fours and a six as he made 104 from 117 balls.
Canterbury 270 (C Bowes 104, C McConchie 42, C Fletcher 47no; J Duffy 6-35) lost to Otago 271-6 in 49.4 overs (B Wilson 126, M Renwick 41, M Rippon 37) by four wickets.
Central v Wellington
The competition leaders lost a rainaffected match to the struggling Stags as opener Jacob Bhula agonisingly missed out on a maiden century.
Bhula was dismissed for 99 as the Firebirds chased 280 for victory, with the DLS method again coming into play, with Central seven runs ahead when rain came again and decided the result.
Opener Greg Hay (83) and middleorder bat Tom Bruce (87) provided the majority of the runs as the Stags compiled 279 before being bowled out in the last of their 50 overs.
Firebirds opener Andrew Fletcher’s hugely productive debut Trophy campaign continued when he made 59 off 75 balls, taking his season tally to 610 runs at an average of 76.25.
Central Districts 279 (T Bruce 87, G Hay 83, W Ludick 46; J Neesham 3-44) beat Wellington 188-4 off 39.4 overs (J Bhula 99, A Fletcher 59) by seven runs under the DLS method.