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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