Ford Trophy Round 2 Match Report

Northern Districts v Wellington Firebirds, Seddon Park, Hamilton - 29 November 2023

The Wellington Firebirds batted first after winning the toss and were three down inside the first 11 overs.  Troy Johnson batted cautiously, taking 94 balls to reach 50 for the ninth time in List A games, but he was dismissed not long after reaching that mark.  Nathan Smith scored at better than run-a-ball pace, including three sixes, before Logan van Beek and Peter Younghusband hit out at the end to bring the Firebirds close to 200.

Northern’s openers Tim Seifert and Katene Clarke began strongly in reply, bringing up 50 in the eighth over and going on to post 77 in 12 overs for the first wicket.  Ben Sears with two, Adam Milne and Smith took wickets, but all the home side batters got starts, and they brought up a bonus-point win with more than 17 overs still available.  Top scorer was 10-year veteran Jeff Carter (54) who hit four fours and four sixes in his 44-ball knock.

Short scoreboard

Wellington Firebirds 198 in 49.2 overs (Troy Johnson 57, Nathan Smith 37, Logan van Beek 25) lost to Northern Districts 199-4 in 32.4 overs (Ben Sears 2-17) by six wickets.