Aces cruise to ten wicket win
Monday, 1 March 2010
Tim McIntosh during his mammoth 171
The Auckland Aces have made it on to the scoreboard in the Plunket Shield after brushing aside the Wellington Firebirds by 10 wickets to record their first points after six rounds at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland.
Spinner Tarun Nethula took four wickets with Gareth Shaw snaring two as the Firebird’s second innings folded for 122 late on Saturday.
The Aces needed 120 runs off a full day but only needed 21.5 overs and didn’t lose a wicket.
Auckland openers Tim McIntosh and Jeet Raval completed a fantastic match, knocking off the runs with 51* and 61* respectively.
Raval made 96 in the first innings to finish with a match aggregate of 157 with McIntosh’s half century backing up his 171.
The Wellington Firebirds had some stand out individuals like Luke Woodcock who scored 127 runs and Stewart Rhodes who racked up 143 but they needed more from the rest of the team.
The win was set up by McIntosh and Richard Jones' 212 run stand for the second wicket in Auckland's first innings on Saturday afternoon that propelled them to 480/3 and first innings points.
The Auckland bowlers then made what had been a benign pitch up till then look positively dangerous as they tore through the Wellington line-up. The Shaw brothers, Lance and Gareth, along with Michael Bates knocked the top off the Wellington batting order, with Tarun Nethula finishing the job by wrapping up the tail.
The result doesn't get the Aces off the bottom of the table but it does hopefully signal a turnaround in their fortunes in the longer form of the game.
Full scorecard
Points table