2023/34
ROUND ONE
CANTERBURY defeated WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS by 63 runs
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
25 November 2023
Canterbury: 5 points
Selected milestones
Michael Rippon - Canterbury List A debut (previously Otago Volts)
Cam Paul - List A debut
Dylan Hunter - List A debut
Gareth Severin - List A debut
Adam Milne - second List A five-wicket bag, first for Wellington Firebirds
Adam Milne - best List A figures (5/24)
Mitch Hay and Angus McKenzie - Canterbury List A eighth wicket partnership record (117)
All images: PHOTOSPORT
Five for 24: that's hot.
The wonder might be that Adam Milne doesn't have more than two bags from his one-day career, with a bag previously for New Zealand A, but a best of 4/34 from his long Central Stags career before his switch to Wellington. Anyway, all that was about to change.
Milne licked his lip when captain Nick Kelly won the toss and bowled at Hagley Oval, getting his first wicket in his fourth over of the morning, with a wicket maiden and Matt Boyle on his way back to the pavilion at 20/1.
Milne finished his opening spell with another maiden before coming back in the 21st at 73/4. By then, handy change bowlers Peter Younghusband and Logan van Beek had kept the heat on Canterbury, who had been the previous season's runner-up.
Now Milne promptly got rid of Michael Rippon before he got in, while Canterbury's Matt Hay was weathering the storm and holding the innings together for the hosts.
Hay quickly lost another two partners before Gus McKenzie stuck around for 22 overs of defiance, and gave the support for a resilient, 117-run stand for the eighth wicket.
That was a new Canterbury record, and new Canterbury partnership records don't come along every day.
Hay impresses in all formats for the red and blacks and reached 75 after more than two hours, before Milne finally enticed a catch in the 48th over.
From there it was all over quickly for Canterbury, Milne quickly grabbing the last two he needed for his bag, with McKenzie the last to fall, caught and bowled on 58 off 70 balls after Milne ran a mile for the very good catch, in the last scheduled over of the innings.
The chase for the Firebirds was set at 221, but they wouldn't get close despite some good early work from Tim Robinson and Gareth Severin who built a 74-run stand for the second wicket.
The problem for the Firebirds was that it was the only stand of any substance, after big paceman Will O'Rourke broke it in the 15th over.
Rippon (3/31), McConchie (2/18) and debutant Cam Paul (3/17) were all in the wickets, Rippon making a double strike to bundle out the hosts well short at 157 in just 32 overs.
Canterbury now heads into a 2023 Grand Final rematch with the Stags who meanwhile had also suffered a first-round loss up in Nelson. The two sides will meet at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth on Wednesday.
