Auckland Aces beat Northern Districts by 47 runs
Kennards Hire Community Oval
12 January 2022
BLACKCAPS and Auckland Aces fast man Lockie Ferguson has bagged a one-day six-for for just the second time in his List A career in a titanic Ford Trophy battle between the Aces and Northern Districts in Auckland.
A near career-best, Ferguson's 6-34 off eight overs impressed in the hot, dry conditions in which both teammate George Worker (132 off 142) and ND's Colin de Grandhomme (126 off 104) slammed big centuries.
In a match dripping with statchat (see below), ND captain Joe Carter had sent the Aces in at Kennards Hire Community Oval before Worker plundered his 16th List A century (his second for the Aces, for whom the left-hand veteran is in his first season) in a record fourth-wicket stand of 185 with Aces captain Robbie O'Donnell.
O'Donnell (previous best: 78) just missed out on a maiden one-day century when he was caught by Mitchell Santner off Brett Hampton on 95, but his side reached a defendable 303/7 as they batted out their full 50 overs.
ND had looked on course for a heavy defeat at 37/4 in reply, after Ferguson had blasted out the first four wickets at a cost of just 15 runs in his opening four overs of the afternoon.
Enter BLACKCAPS de Grandhomme and Santner who set about rebuilding the chase with a fifth-wicket stand of 145 in 101 balls.
Sean Solia had Santner caught behind on 74 at 182/5 in the 24th over, but de Grandhomme held the fort until the 39th when Ferguson came back for his third spell at the death and crucially had the powerful hitter caught first delivery, for his sixth victim.
Ferguson had earlier bounced out another dangerous hitter in Hampton for his third one-day bag for the Aces, and the fourth of his overall one-day career. His career best remains 6-27 (2016/17), Danru Ferns claiming the last two ND wickets next over to clinch an impressive 47-run victory with 10.1 overs to spare.
The win takes the mid-table Aces to two wins from four games while ND's third loss of the campaign sees them stay bottom of the table, albeit sitting on more points than three of the teams above them as teams in this season's lockdown-affected schedule are ranked by average points per game.
POINTS (number of games played)
- Robbie O'Donnell reached 1500 List A runs
- 10th List A 50 and highest List A score for Robbie O'Donnell
- 16th List A century for George Worker (2nd for Auckland Aces - equalling his highest score for Auckland Aces)
- Record 4th wicket List A partnership for Auckland Aces against any team (185)
- Colin de Grandhomme reached 3000 List A runs
- Record 5th wicket List A partnership for Northern Districts against Auckland Aces (145)
- 7th List A 50 for Mitchell Santner
- 4th five wicket bag in List A cricket by Lockie Ferguson (3rd for Auckland Aces)
- The catch to dismiss Brett Hampton was Ben Horne's 50th in List A cricket
- 3rd List A century for Colin de Grandhomme (1st for Northern Districts)
The competition now takes a break for the business end of Dream11 Super Smash until the Central Stags host the Aces in Palmerston North on 1 February.
