Auckland edge in front of Canterbury

The Auckland Aces have edged in front of Canterbury in their Plunket Shield thirdround clash, thanks largely to a strong bowling effort on the second morning.

The visitors added only 56 runs while losing their last five wickets at Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday to be all out for 220.

Matt McEwan picked up two of those five, including top scorer Cam Fletcher, who made 79, to finish with figures of 2-51, while Sean Solia had 3-31 and Jamie Brown 3-55.

By stumps, the Aces had eked out an eight-run lead, sitting on 228-7. Solia was their only batsmen to pass 50, making 51.

At Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland: Canterbury 220 (Cam Fletcher 79) met the Auckland Aces 228-7 (Sean Solia 51, Rob O’Donnell 49).

At Molyneux Park in Alexandra, Greg Hay turned his hundred into a double hundred, posting 226, his highest first-class score, as Central Districts scored 511-6 in their marathon first innings against the

Otago Volts.

Before he was out lbw to Josh TasmanJones, Hay faced 461 balls and spent more than nine hours at the crease in compiling the second double hundred of his career.

He shared a 205-run stand for the fifth wicket with Kieran Noema-Barnett, who made 108, his third first-class hundred, before falling to Ben Lockrose.

The Volts made a steady start in their first innings, reaching 82-2 at stumps with Tasman-Jones (29) and Shawn Hicks (39) the not out batsmen.

At Molyneux Park, Alexandra: Central Districts 511-6 (Greg Hay 226, Kieran Noema-Barnett 108) met the Otago Volts 82-2.

Northern Districts resumed at 48-3 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, after a rainshortened first day, but didn’t have it any better with the bat against Wellington.

They struggled through to 127-7 before there was a partnership of note, losing Bharat Popli (31), Anton Devcich (0), Scott Kuggeleijn (21), and Peter Bocock (20) in the process – the latter becoming Jeetan Patel’s 819th first-class victim, taking him past Tom Pritchard to fourth on the New Zealand alltime list.

Joe Carter was playing the lone hand for Northern in his first first-class match for nearly two years, and he combined with Joe Walker to put on 82 for the eighth wicket and take their total past 200.

Walker and new man Brett Randell were dismissed in the space of two balls by Malcolm Nofal, but he couldn’t complete the hat-trick, and Carter was able to bring up his second first-class hundred before falling for 109, having taken Northern through to 251.

The Firebirds were much more assured with the bat and had reached 152-3 at stumps.

Devon Conway led the way, not out on 58, while Michael Bracewell made 46 before being bowled by James Baker.

At the Basin Reserve, Wellington: Northern Districts 251 (Joe Carter 109; Ollie Newton 4-58) met the Wellington Firebirds 152-3 (Devon Conway 58no).