Cricket: Stags move into finals after Wellington win

CD Cricket

The CENTRAL STAGS are into another set of white-ball Finals this summer, after brilliant finishing in a come-from-behind victory in New Plymouth earned them a ticket to The Ford Trophy Elimination Final this Friday.

The Stags will play the Auckland Aces in Dunedin for the right to meet Canterbury in Sunday's Grand Final, while our CENTRAL HINDS sadly missed out on the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Final by just two points, after a tough last two rounds against top qualifier the Otago Sparks. 

The Stags, Otago Volts and Wellington Firebirds were all competing for the last available men's Elimination Final berth, and it was straight out life or death in the Stags-Firebirds contest in New Plymouth on Sunday.

Firebirds captain Nick Kelly sent the Stags in, and the visitors had the better time of it in most of the game - except for the bits that really mattered.

Ex-Stags Adam Milne (0/7 off three overs) and Liam Dudding opened the attack against their former team, Dudding (3/55) getting two big early wickets in Dane Cleaver and Brad Schmulian.

But Kelly was thrown a curve ball when Milne had to exit three overs into his opening spell with a grumpy hamstring.

From 13/2, the Stags initially recovered, thanks to a 92-run partnership between Jack Boyle and Tom Bruce on an arid-looking Pukekura Park, sporting a hard, sun-browned outfield.

Bruce punched up a half century with a six into the terraces, off just 36 balls, and looked on song for a significant innings at his home ground.

 He lost Boyle (30) just after they had got the first hundred runs on the scoreboard, Younghusband striking in his second over of the day. Bruce went on to a 54-ball 73, but was caught by the Firebirds keeper at 135/4.

The pendulum swung back to the Firebirds with timely wickets through the middle, but Josh Clarkson went on to a 50-stand with his captain Jayden Lennox that proved invaluable to the cause. 

The Firebirds finished off the innings with a flurry of wickets, the Stags all out in the 49th over after Logan van Beek went bang-bang for a brace.

In front of a good Sunday crowd of regular supporters, the Stags needed a strong reply with the ball - and they got a terrific start. 

Leading the attack, Brett Randell removed Tim Robinson and first drop Gareth Severin, both for no score: the Firebirds were 3/2, the ledger evening slightly.

Jesse Tashkoff kept going and raced to 23, but he became the third wicket when Lennox brilliantly ran him out from midwicket, with just one stump to aim at.

 After being 37/3 in the seventh over, a textbook 159-run partnership between Mo Abbas and Kelly saw the hosts come under the pump over the ensuing 24 overs.

The stand took the Firebirds well ahead of their required rate and, for all intents and purposes, they were cruising.

Polished young allrounder Abbas was enjoying his first ever visit to the venue, and reached his 50 off 56 balls. Kelly followed suit, off just 40 balls: an attractive pairing.

 Toby Findlay found some swing, but Lennox was running out of options and turned to part-time leg-spinner Brad Schmulian in the 29th over when the Firebirds were 194/3.

Abbas reached his maiden one-day century off just 115 balls, dancing down the wicket to Schmulian and clocking it up with his third six.

But by then, things had started to unravel for the rest of the Firebirds. 

Milne was now in the middle with Abbas, ginger on his tweaked hamstring and the burden squarely on his batting partner.

Kelly had been caught behind off Schmulian's second over on 86. Lennox had removed Tom Blundell cheaply a few overs later, at 222/5.

 Still, the Firebirds were not far away from their target, with wickets in hand. The home crowd was fairly quiet. 

The volume started to go up when Schmulian struck again, three balls later. Now the Birds were six down. It was open season. Lennox then got rid of the experienced van Beek for just one run in the following over: 230/7.

Younghusband swiftly followed, Lennox leaping to take the catch off Schmulian at 237/8.

Abbas was still there, and the Firebirds needed just a further 15 runs to win, still with oceans of time to do it. They just had to pick them off, but without losing any more wickets.

Abbas pelted Schmulian for six, 11 runs coming off the 39th over that had cost Younghusband his wicket.

But in the next, Lennox's dot-ball pressure lured him into reaching for a widish delivery, only to spoon a catch out to Brett Randell in the deep. 

Abbas walked off to applause from the Pukekura gallery, gutted with the end of his innings at 245/9. 

Now the last man, Dudding - not a prolific scorer of runs, and the injured Milne were exposed. Between them, they found six more singles off the next nine balls, and you could have cut the air with a knife.

The target was within fingertip reach. Four more runs were all that was needed as Lennox took the ball for the 42nd over, and wrapped it in the fingers behind his back.

SCORECARD

The first ball was a single from Milne, and Dudding braced himself for the next one, leaning forward in defence.

But it popped up big-time. And waiting under the catch was Boyle, as the Stags and home crowd all went nuts. The team had come from nowhere to reclaim the match, and squeak into the Ford Trophy Finals by just two precious runs.

The Stags win simultaneously knocked out the Volts, and kept Central's dream of winning all three titles alive.