2025/26 Ford Trophy: Round Five Basics

Canterbury are top of the Ford Trophy ladder after their win vs Central Districts and Auckland claimed the second spot after defeating Wellington, while Northern Districts vs Otago was washed out.

Auckland

Win vs Wellington | 3-2 | 14 points

Best Performers vs Wellington

  • Cameron Fletcher: 100 runs @ 98sr

  • Jock McKenzie: 48* @ 112sr | 2w @ 5rpo

  • Rohit Gulati: 2w @ 4.2rpo

  • Ryan Harrison: 2w @ 4.5rpo

  • Adithya Ashok: 2w @ 4.6rpo

Best This Season

  • Cameron Fletcher: 205 runs @ 51.2avg/76sr

  • Harrish Kannan: 164 runs @ 32.8avg/63sr

  • Ryan Harrison: 131 runs @ 32.7avg/113sr | 6w @ 26avg/5.5rpo

  • Jock McKenzie: 102 runs @ 34avg/89sr | 8w @ 26.7avg/5.6rpo

  • Simon Keene: 9w @ 26.1avg/5.5rpo

  • Adithya Ashok: 8w @ 22.7avg/5.2rpo

Notebook

Fletcher averages 30+ in all three formats. Has scored 20+ runs in four of his five innings this season (34*, 46, 24, 1, 100).

McKenzie has 30+ runs and/or 2+ wickets in four of five games this season. LA batting average of 24.2 and bowling average 35.5 are slowly moving towards each other.

Gulati stars his Auckland chapter with two not-out batting innings (6*, 5*) and 2w in both games. Gulati has taken at least a wicket in all seven innings of his domestic career in Aotearoa with 2+ wickets in four of them.

Northern Districts

Rained off vs Otago | 1-3 | 7 points

Best Performers vs Otago

  • Rob O'Donnell 66 runs @ 85sr

  • Snehith Reddy: 40* @ 83sr

  • Kristian Clarke: 31* @ 94sr

Best This Season

  • Rob O'Donnell 241 runs @ 48.2avg/82sr

  • Kristian Clarke: 178 runs @ 89avg/90sr

  • Zak Gibson: 5w @ 18avg/3.4rpo

  • Tim Pringle: 5w @ 24avg/3.7rpo

  • Scott Kuggeleijn: 5w @ 28avg/5.2rpo

Notebook

Reddy has three consecutive not-out innings. He had scores of 60 and 33* in a tour game vs England last summer and has started his domestic career with 15* and 40*. Not bad for an 18-year-old.

Clarke has three not-outs in five innings this season.

19-year-old Aryan Mann debuted as the wicket-keeper. Like Reddy and Auckland's Jaskaran Sandhu, Mann looked tremendous in the Under 19 Development Series a few weeks ago...

Central Districts

Loss vs Canterbury | 3-2 | 14 points

Best Performers vs Canterbury

  • Tom Bruce: 102* @ 75sr

  • Josh Clarkson: 100 runs @ 120sr

  • Blair Tickner: 1w @ 5.9rpo

  • Ray Toole: 1w @ 6rpo

Best This Season

  • Tom Bruce: 237 runs @ 59.2avg/87sr

  • Brad Schmulian: 225 runs @ 56.2avg/74sr

  • Josh Clarkson: 156 runs @ 31.2avg/107sr | 16w @ 11.3avg/3.8rpo

  • Jayden Lennox: 8w @ 28.3avg/5rpo

Notebook

Bruce has three 50+ scores in a row. All in different areas of Aotearoa; Dunedin, Auckland, Rangiora.

Clarkson hit his fourth LA century and it's his first 30+ score in last 10 games. No wickets means he didn't take 3+ wickets for the first time this season.

Wellington

Loss vs Auckland | 3-2 | 12 points

Best Performers vs Auckland

  • James Hartshorn: 3w @ 7rpo

  • Michael Snedden: 3w @ 6.6rpo

  • Liam Dudding: 2w @ 4.6rpo

  • Tom Blundell: 77 runs @ 88sr

  • Nick Kelly: 54 runs @ 115sr

Best This Season

  • Tim Robinson: 208 runs @ 69.3avg/98sr

  • Tom Blundell: 177 runs @ 44.2avg/78sr

  • Peter Younghusband: 131 runs @ 43.6avg/71sr | 8w @ 28.2avg/4.7rpo

  • James Hartshorn: 12w @ 19avg/4.8rpo

  • Liam Dudding: 7w @ 22.8avg/4.1rpo

Notebook

Blundell's recent scores: 2, 2, 9, 25, 64*, 77.

Kelly's scores this season: 0, 11, 1, 6, 54.

Dudding has a wicket in seven consecutive innings. Currently averaging 28.7 in LA bowling - also averages 24 in First-Class bowling.

Canterbury

Win vs Central Districts | 4-1 | 18 points

Best Performers vs Central Districts

  • Fraser Sheat: 3w @ 4.6rpo

  • Chad Bowes: 102 runs @ 105sr

  • Tom Latham: 97* @ 97sr

  • Rhys Mariu: 44* @ 100sr

Best This Season

  • Henry Nicholls: 306 runs @ 76.5avg/95sr

  • Chad Bowes: 235 runs @ 47avg/99sr

  • Tom Latham: 204 runs @ 102avg/91sr

  • Angus McKenzie: 8w @ 26avg/4.2rpo

  • Fraser Sheat: 8w @ 27.7avg/5.1rpo

  • Michael Rae: 8w @ 31.6avg/5.2rpo

Notebook

Bowes' scores this season: 24, 45, 22, 42, 102. LA is his best format with 39avg.

Latham's recent scores: 25, 104, 24, 2, 10, 78, 29, 97*. LA career average of 36.

Mariu's recent scores: 38, 0, 249, 30, 135, 0, 37, 67*, 44*. Now averaging 33 in LA batting.

Sheat has a wicket in every game so far and averages 27 in FC and LA bowling.

Otago

Rained off vs Northern Districts | 0-5 | 2 points

Best Performers vs Auckland

  • Luke Georgeson: 2w @ 3.3rpo

  • Jack Boyle: 2w @ 4.1rpo

Best This Season

  • Max Chu: 139 runs @ 34.7avg/77sr

  • Jack Boyle: 123 runs @ 30.7avg/63sr

  • Jarrod McKay: 9w @ 19.2avg/4.2rpo

  • Matthew Bacon: 7w @ 28.4avg/4.9rpo

  • Ben Lockrose: 7w @ 31.4avg/4.6rpo

Notebook

Georgeson took 2+ wickets for the first time in his last 10 games. Has no 50+ scores in last 10 games either and has passed 40 runs once (last round vs Wellington).

Boyle averages 10.5 in FC bowling, 46.5 in LA bowling and 18 in T20 bowling.

21-year-old lefty seamer Thomas O'Connor played his second Ford Trophy game.

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Peace and love.