Firebirds hold the Aces in Auckland
Michael Guptill-Bunce’s aggressive century has kept Auckland in with a sniff of hope in their Plunket Shield match against Wellington.
Resuming at 66 not out yesterday morning, and the team on 220-2, GuptillBunce peppered the boundary as he moved to 109 on the third day of the fourday match at the Eden Park Outer Oval.
His 139-ball knock included 15 fours and four sixes, accounting for 84 of his runs.
Unfortunately for Auckland, support up the other end was lacking and a four wicket haul for Matt McEwan saw the hosts dismissed for 374, 101 shy of Wellington’s first innings total.
McEwan finished up with 4-80, receiving late support from an unlikely source as Matt Taylor ripped through the tail with 3-34.
Hamish Bennett, Iain McPeake and Jeetan Patel also claimed a wicket each.
Luke Woodcock’s tremendous run was halted first ball of Wellington’s second innings, as he got a vicious lifting delivery.
Cody Andrews, on his debut, got a ball to rise up and collect Woodcock on the gloves before looping to GuptillBunce in the cordon. There was little New Zealand’s form opening batsman could do.
Michael Papps fell three overs later to Donovan Grobbelaar, but Hamish Marshall scored his first half century for the Firebirds as he and Stephen Murdoch steadied the ship.
Marshall ended the day on 58, as rain brought about an early exit from the field, with Wellington leading by 200 and in full control of the match.
Auckland will need wickets to come early and often if they are to have a chance from getting a win on day four, something which would also require the weather to play ball.
Wellington are unlikely to give Auckland that chance, with a flat batting track proving difficult to get wickets on.
At Seddon Park, Hamilton, Northern Districts took what little time was available yesterday to regain the upper hand in a low-scoring Shield match against Canterbury.
But day four today will have to provide the conclusion - weather permitting.
In the 22.3 overs the fickle spring weather allowed on day three at Seddon Park in Hamilton, the visitors lost 46-5 to see the advantage swing back in favour of Northern, with Canterbury 130-7 in their second innings chasing 208 for the win.
In Dunedin, Hamish Rutherford scored his second century of the season as Otago set Central Districts an ambitious target for victory.
The opener pumped five sixes and nine fours on his way to 110 from just 107 balls at University Oval, setting up Otago’s quick-fire second-innings total of 213-7 declared, which left CD an unlikely target of 400 to win.
Rutherford had been blasting away, but outside his opening partnership of 101 with Brad Wilson, who scored 41, the Otago batting order slumped.
Stags seamer Doug Bracewell picked up two wickets and spinner Ajaz Patel grabbed 3-94.
CD were 7-1 at stumps, still needing 393 to win today, with 104 overs remaining.
Opener Ben Smith was bowled by Neil Wagner for one, then Greg Hay (three not out) and nightwatchman Patel (two not out) blocked out the day.
Earlier, CD had resumed the day on 80-4 in their first innings and made their way through to 216 thanks to half centuries from middle order men Tom Bruce (86) and Dane Cleaver (5), and 42 not out from Bracewell.