Auckland have back to back wins on home turf to start Ford Trophy and all other teams except for Otago have a win so far.

Auckland

Win vs Otago | 2-0 | 1st

Best Performers vs Otago

Cameron Fletcher: 46 runs @ 72sr
Siddhesh Dixit: 35 runs @ 83sr
Jimmy Neesham: 35 runs @ 125sr
Adithya Ashok: 4w @ 6.1rpo
Ben Lister: 3w @ 3rpo
Simon Keene: 3w @ 3.7rpo

Best This Season

Cameron Fletcher: 80 runs @ 80avg/62sr
Adihtya Ashok: 6w @ 12.3avg/4.9rpo
Simon Keene: 5w @ 11.8avg/3.6rpo

Notebook

Ashok has 2+ wickets in five consecutive innings. Averaging in the early-30s for FC and LA bowling.

Keene has LA career mahi of 29.5avg/97sr and 22avg/4.9rpo.

Neesham and Bevon Jacobs both have 60+ runs with strike-rates around 125.

All Auckland bowlers who have taken a wicket are averaging below 20. This includes the following not listed above...

Ryan Harrison: 2w @ 9avg/2.5rpo
Ben Lister: 3w @ 15.3avg/2.9rpo
Jock McKenzie: 3w @ 17.3avg/4.3rpo

Northern Districts

Win vs CD | 1-1 | 3rd

Best Performers vs CD

Kristian Clarke: 100* @ 93sr | 3w @ 5.7rpo
Ben Pomare: 55 runs @ 95sr
Zak Gibson: 3w @ 1.4rpo

Best This Season

Kristian Clarke: 137 runs @ 91sr
Ben Pomare: 72 runs @ 36avg/81sr
Zak Gibson: 4w @ 9avg/2.5rpo

Notebook

Clarke has a LA batting average of 22 and bowling average of 26.5. He has 2+ wickets in four of his last six innings and has back to back not-outs to start Ford Trophy, with three not-outs in his last five batting innings.

Pomare's recents cores: 63, 7*, 30*, 5, 15, 46, 17, 55.

Gibson has six consecutive innings with a wicket for ND and it stretches roughly two years (October 2023).

Central Districts

Loss vs ND | 1-1 | 4th

Best Performers vs ND

Josh Clarkson: 4w @ 4.2rpo
Curtis Heaphy: 58 runs @ 60sr

Best This Season

Curtis Heaphy: 93 runs @ 93avg/58sr
Josh Clarkson: 9w @ 8.2avg/3.7rpo
Jayden Lennox: 4w @ 18.7avg/4.2rpo

Notebook

Tom Bruce starts the season with two ducks.

Heaphy now averaging 52.88 in LA batting. Streak of 30+ scores/not-outs continues: 71, 50*, 35, 30*, 32, 36, 190, 13*, 35, 58.

Clarkson's best bowling average is LA (26.79). He took 1 wicket in six innings of bowling before Ford Trophy and started this season with 9w in two games.

Lennox has at least a wicket in eight of his last nine innnings. LA bowling average of 31.24 should drop below 30 soon.

Wellington

Win vs Canterbury | 1-1 | 5th

Best Performers vs Canterbury

James Hartshorn: 3w @ 5.7rpo
Jesse Tashkoff: 2w @ 4.6rpo
Peter Younghusband: 83 runs @ 85sr
Tim Robinson: 50 runs @ 102sr
Nick Greenwood: 42 runs @ 89sr

Best This Season

Tim Robinson: 95 runs @ 47.5avg/101sr
Peter Younghusband: 84 runs @ 42avg/79sr | 3w @ 26.3avg/4.3rpo
James Hartshorn: 5w @ 21avg/5.4rpo
Jesse Tashkoff: 3w @ 25avg/5.7rpo

Notebook

Robinson's lowest batting average is LA with 24.84 but he has started Ford Trophy with scores of 45 and 50.

Younghusband has at least a wicket in nine of his last 10 innings. He also has two 80-odd scores in his last 10 batting innings.

Hartshorn has three consecutive not-outs and five in his last six innings. Also has 2+ wickets in four of his last six bowling innings. LA bowling average of 43 will keep dropping with Ford Trophy wickets.

Canterbury

Loss vs Wellington | 1-1 | 2nd

Best Performers vs Wellington

Matthew Boyle: 73 runs @ 94sr
Chad Bowes: 45 runs @ 122sr
Angus McKenzie: 3w @ 3.8rpo

Best This Season

Henry Nicholls: 128 runs @ 128avg/91sr
Matthew Boyle: 107 runs @ 53.5avg/91sr
Angus McKenzie: 6w @ 11.3avg/3.6rpo
Michael Rippon: 4w @ 19.2avg/4.5rpo

Notebook

Boyle's lowest batting average is LA with 24.26. Recent scores: 0, 1, 14, 2, 58, 34, 73.

McKenzie has 3 wickets in back to back games and 11 consecutive innings with a wicket. Also has four consecutive knocks of 10+ runs.

Otago

Loss vs Auckland | 0-2 | 6th

Best Performers vs Auckland

Matthew Bacon: 3w @ 4.3rpo
Jarrod McKay: 3w @ 2.5rpo
Ben Lockrose: 3w @ 3.7rpo
Llew Johnson: 31 runs @ 107sr

Best This Season

Jack Boyle: 82 runs @ 41avg/73sr
Max Chu: 51 runs @ 25.5avg/61sr
Matthew Bacon: 4w @ 19.2avg/5.1rpo
Ben Lockrose: 4w @ 20.7avg/4.4rpo

Notebook

Johnson is nudging 30avg (29.3). Recent scores: 85*, 17, 80*, 41, 9, 15, 25*, 3, 31.

Lockrose has 3+ wickets in five of his last six innings.

No Otago batter is over 100sr and no bowler is below 3.5rpo.

To support The Niche Cache you can join the Patreon whanau or donate through Buy Me A Coffee. A little goes a long way to fund our mahi. Smash an ad.

Peace and love.