Test batsman WILL YOUNG is set to play his first Plunket Shield match of the season in the Central Stags' penultimate game of the summer, starting this Saturday in Napier.

Young comes into the squad to play the Auckland Aces alongside premier allrounder DOUG BRACEWELL who returns from injury to a team coming off strong, but ultimately, luckless performances in its last two games.

The Stags have played the only two teams ahead of them on the table over the last two rounds, and each time they have had to settle for a weather-shortened draw, after having been in a dominant position.

Dougie's back in business | PHOTOSPORT

In Mount Maunganui, rain washed out the entire last day when the Stags held an overall lead against current leader Northern Districts - who then went on to beat the Auckland Aces in a nailbiting last over win in their next match.

Meanwhile the Stags had headed off to Palmerston North to play the Wellington Firebirds, who had snuck ahead of ND to hold a fragile lead on the points table after the fifth of the eight rounds.

The Stags dominated the Firebirds in all departments, piling on one of their highest ever totals, 572/9 declared putting the team in position for an innings victory.

A breakthrough innings for CURTIS HEAPHY | MButcher

CURTIS HEAPHY scored his maiden first-class century in the process with a breakthrough knock of 131 at his hometown ground while BRAD SCHMULIAN went even bigger with 186, his sixth first-class hundred.

Together, they poured on 191 for the third wicket to set up the powerful total that, in most games, would be enough to see a team to victory.

But again, wet weather had intervened, having delayed the start of play until after lunch on the opening day, and then returning on the final day morning with another delay, when the Stags had needed to crack on and get seven wickets for victory.

Central had already taken the full set of eight first-innings bonus points and now were hunting the extra 12 points that an outright victory confers.

But Firebirds nightwatchman Iain McPeake stood in the way when play got underway - going on to a near career-best 44 in almost three and a half hours overall.

Despite having lost left-arm seamer RAY TOOLE to a side injury early in the game, the Stags' attack did an admirable job as AJAZ PATEL and BLAIR TICKNER shouldered the extra bowling workload.

 

A big couple of games all round for BLAIR TICKNER | MButcher

 

The team kept attacking and wickets to LIAM DUDDING 2/53 off 18 overs), TICKNER (3/79 off 28 overs), PATEL (1/92 off a marathon 49 overs in his 100th first-class appearance), and SCHMULIAN (1/15) got the Firebirds nine down, on the brink of defeat.

But then, time ran out in the last hour to get that last, vital wicket, and again the coveted outright points went begging, despite a solid fight.

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That leaves the Stags in the frustrating position of not being in control of their own destiny, needing to perform to the max in their last two games (against the out of contention Auckland Aces, and the Otago Volts who sit in fifth).

In a nutshell, the Firebirds and Northern Districts have to have a bad final two rounds of the season while the Stags play out of their skins if Central is to retain the Plunket Shield title.

POINTS AFTER 6 OF 8 ROUNDS

Maximum of 20 points available per round,

with both teams able to earn up to 8 first innings points

80   NORTHERN DISTRICTS

67   WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS

58   CENTRAL STAGS

44   CANTERBURY

43   OTAGO VOLTS

29   AUCKLAND ACES

Both of the Stags' final two matches of the campaign and the 2023/24 summer are at home at Napier's McLean Park, as Test players return to their Domestic sides across the country.

The match is free admission for all four days, with Saturday morning's toss scheduled for 10am and play set for 10.30am each day, with livescores and a free livestream here at www.cdcricket.co.nz

2023/24 PLUNKET SHIELD

Round SEVEN of EIGHT

FREE ADMISSION EVERY DAY

CENTRAL STAGS v Auckland Aces

McLean Park, Napier

10.30am • Saturday 16 March to Tuesday 19 March 2024

SQUAD

GREG Hay (captain) — Nelson

DOUG Bracewell — Hawke’s Bay

TOM Bruce — Taranaki

WILL Clark — Hawke’s Bay

JOSH Clarkson — Nelson

DANE Cleaver (wicketkeeper) — Manawatū

LIAM Dudding — Hawke’s Bay

CURTIS Heaphy — Manawatū

AJAZ Patel — Hawke’s Bay

BRAD Schmulian — Hawke’s Bay

BLAIR Tickner — Hawke’s Bay

WILL Young — Taranaki

Head Coach — GLENN Pocknall

Contracted players unavailable for selection

RAY Toole — injury

JOEY Field — injury

BRETT Randell — returning from injury

AUCKLAND ACES SQUAD

Robbie O’Donnell (c), Mark Chapman, Louis Delport,

Danru Ferns, Cam Fletcher (w), Ben Lister, Jock McKenzie,

Will O’Donnell, Nikith Perera, Sean Solia,

Jordan Sussex, George Worker

FULL SCHEDULE

Follow the campaign with hashtags:

#plunketshield #lovethestags

Article added: Friday 15 March 2024