The fireworks from the previous day in Auckland continued at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth as Peter Ingram and Jamie How plundered the Wellington Firebirds attack putting on 201 for the Central Stags opening partnership. Not only was this the highest partnership in the HRV Cup it was also the highest first wicket partnership in all T20 cricket worldwide and has only been beaten by the 206 added for the second wicket by Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh for the Kings XI Punjab against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League last year.
The previous highest first wicket record featured the Gloucestershire pairing of Kevin O'Brien and Hamish Marshall who added 192 against Middlesex last year, while the previous best in the HRV Cup was the 149 that Lou Vincent and Martin Guptill shared for the first wicket for the Auckland Aces against the Wellington Firebirds in the 2009-10 season.
This was Jamie How's first century and of the eleven tons that have been hit in the HRV Cup, five of them having been scored this season. Peter Ingram so nearly joined How, but had to be content with a personal best score of 97.
Jamie How reached his fifty in thirty balls but needed only another fifteen balls to reach his hundred, taking five balls off Brendon McCullum's previous fastest of fifty balls. Both he and Peter Ingram hit eight sixes during their innings, behind only the record nine sixes hit by Rob Nicol the previous day.
Jamie How also hit eight fours during his innings. The eighty runs he scored in boundaries surpassed the seventy-six scored by Chris Gaffaney (16 fours and two sixes) for the Otago Volts back in the 2005-06 season.
The seventeen sixes smashed by the Stags was a record beating the sixteen hit against them by the Auckland Aces on the same ground in 2007-08. Like the Wizards the day before they hit more sixes than fours in their innings, with only fourteen fours clubbed during their twenty overs.
The Stags total over 222 for two has been beaten only twice in the HRV Cup. The record is 229 for three recorded by the Auckland Aces against the Wellington Firebirds in 2009-10 while the Stags themselves have the next best, 224 for three, also against the Firebirds back in the 2007-08 season.
Among all the carnage Doug Bracewell was the one bowler to emerge unscathed, finishing with career best figures of three for twenty off his four overs.
