2023/24 Ford Trophy: Round Two Notebook
Finn Allen went full-banger bonkers to help Auckland grab their first win of Ford Trophy but it's Northern Districts who are top of the table with two wins. ND defeated Wellington which was Wellington's second loss of the competition and they are the only team yet to win a game, while Central Districts were too good for Canterbury as they snared their first win.
After Otago scored 268/7 in their 50 overs, Allen whacked 168 runs @ 152sr to help Auckland reach 274/3 in 46.3 overs. Allen was overlooked for World Cup selection after averaging 17.7 this year in ODIs, a considerable drop down from 38.7avg in 2022. In his last four ODIs prior to the domestic summer, Allen had scores of 0, 9, 12 and 28 but the return to Aotearoa has allowed Allen to rebuild his mana as it does for all kiwis.
Batting down the order for Auckland in Plunket Shield, Allen started with a knock of 79 runs (75sr) before scores of 4 and 3. Allen only played two PS games and he started FT with 42 runs @ 105sr in the opening game before this monster knock. It's worth noting that Auckland's first two FT games have been against Otago so Allen is loving that match up, plus his hundy came at Eden Park's outer oval where the boundaries are usually peppered.
This is evident in Otago's Llew Johnson whacking 68 runs @ 188sr. Johnson had a higher strike-rate than Allen and the 23-year-old has already established himself as one of the funkiest hitters in Aotearoa, although he hasn't found a steady flow of runs. Johnson has List-A (100sr) and T20 (125) strike-rates over 100 which is aligned with Allen who has a LA record of 31avg/107sr.
Johnson has started FT in Otago's 1st 11 and this comes after he made his PS debut in the first stanza. Johnson has already played 28 Super Smash games which decreases as the formats get longer with 12 FT games and the one PS appearance.
Dean Foxcroft (68 runs) and Thorn Parkers (78 runs) also had decent scores for Otago. This was Foxcroft's first 50+ score of the season as he was battling in PS with 14.4avg. 23-year-old Parkes did grab a 50+ score in PS while playing all four games and he has gone back to back with 50+ scores in FT.
These two knocks are Parkes' first FT batting innings and he's joined by Canterbury's wicket-keeper Mitch Hay as the only batters with two 50+ scores after two FT games. Hay led Canterbury's innings of 278 (in 46.4ov) against CD with 82 runs @ 102sr and as a notable emerging talent in PS, Hay now has his first 50+ scores in FT.
Two CD youngsters led their response and steered CD to victory. 20-year-old Curtis Heaphy top-scored for CD with 70 runs in his FT debut and 22-year-old Will Clark continues to impress, scoring 59 runs @ 107sr. Clark was a notable lad in the first FT notebook and he's got a fantastic LA record of 55avg/107sr after five games. Bayley Wiggins also flashed his talent for CD with 30* @ 150sr to finish off CD's chase and he's another youngster with strong LA record (42avg/113sr).
Ray Toole was the key bowler for CD as he finished with 5w @ 7.4rpo. Toole has made waves in PS and is just as good in Super Smash, averaging 26 and 27 in those formats. One-day cricket is Toole's worst format as he averages 38 and as Toole is emerging as a intriguing lefty-seam talent, his FT mahi will be interesting to track.
The cricketing talent of Zak Foulkes and Cameron Paul is still commanding attention. Foulkes took 2w @ 5.3rpo and Paul took 1w @ 5.1rpo in the loss, which wasn't good enough to help Canterbury get a win but they continue to showcase their ability. This is the funkiest wrinkle in domestic cricket right now because both lads come from Darfield along with Henry Shipley. All three move the ball through swing and seam, while also bowling with decent pace.
Wellington put up 198 runs in 49.4ov led by 57 runs from Troy Johnson, against ND. Kristian Clarke took 3w @ 5.2rpo and Scott Kuggeleijn took 3w @ 4.1rpo, then ND chased down their target in 32.4ov. Joe Carter scored 54 runs @ 122sr as the best batter for ND, while Katene Clarke, Tim Seifert and Brett Hampton all scored 20+ runs with strike-rates over 100 as well.
Kristian Clarke has 2+ wickets in both FT games so far, now averaging 19.8 in LA bowling. Add in his 26.9avg for FC and 21.2 for T20 bowling for another young (22yrs) seamer who is making his mark in domestic cricket.
Kuggeleijn and Carter are in sizzling form, perhaps chillin' as the best cricketers in domestic cricket (Tom Bruce is yet to play FT and missing a PS game). This is especially the case for Kuggeleijn who made his Test debut last summer, was the best bowler for NZ-A vs Australia A and then averaged 16.4 in the PS first stanza. Kuggeleijn didn't take any wickets in the first FT game but he's still got a solid record after two games of 22.6avg/4rpo.
Carter has a 50+ score in five of six games this season. While he hasn't hit a century yet, Carter had two 90-odd scores in PS. Carter only batted once in the first two PS games so his form can be delivered as five 50+ scores in eight innings. Or we can roll with 62avg in PS and 45av in FT, with career averages over 35 in FC and LA cricket.
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