Cricket: CD Stags continue dream run after thumping Auckland Aces with a day to spare

Doug Bracewell (centre with wristband) celebrates the wicket of Seth Rance (clean shaven) as the pair mopped up the Auckland Aces' wagging tail for an emphatic win today. Photo/Photosport

The tail was wagging but it was just a matter of when, not if, the Auckland Aces were going to lay down their weapons in the first-class match today.

Was it going to be a new ball in the hot hands of Doug Bracewell and Seth Rance or the blistering pace of Adam Milne at first change on day three of the four-day Plunket Shield at Eden Park outer oval?

Perhaps it was going to be the unsuspecting flight of rookie Felix Murphy that was going to catch the city slickers on the hop who had shown glaring symptoms of anaemic behaviour in both innings.

With a day in hand, time was hardly a factor with the hosts requiring 351 runs in their second innings who managed only 199 in 69.3 overs before they were skittled to hand CD an emphatic 151-run victory.

The Stags, with five marquee players away with coach Heinrich Malan on the NZ A tour of United Arab Emirates, are on a dream run. They have added two victories, under the tutelage of interim coach Ben Smith, of England, on the trot to an unblemished last season.

The major associations will embark on the one-day Ford Trophy campaign from Wednesday next week where CD will return to Saxton Oval, Nelson, to host the Otago Volts.

Red-ball cricket will return briefly in early December before the Burger King Super Smash Twenty20 campaign interjects.

However, wicketkeeper Ben Horne was left stranded today, 30 not out for Auckland, as he had stoked the fire of transient hope earlier with No 8 Matt McEwan (22 runs), after Black Cap test opener Jeet Raval (57 runs) and No 6 Finn Allen (53) had posted half centuries.

As it turned out, Bracewell broke the Horne-McEwan partnership with the help of Murray's safe pair of hands before the You Travel Taradale CC allrounder joined fellow Black Caps seamer Rance to mop up the tail.

The 28-year-old right-armer took 3-33 from 17 overs, including five maidens while Rance claimed 2-49 from 10.3overs, including three maidens, after McCone earlier made inroads with 2-45 and a run out of No 3 Sean Solia for nine runs.

Having closed shop at 174 in their second dig, the Stags would have taken lunch with a sprinkle of disappointment in setting a fair target amid Milne's day-two forecast of 450 but their belief in their bowlers would not have wavered.

Middle-order batsman Bracewell (31 runs) and Christian Leopard (37) added to opener Ben Smith's 28 from the overnight 3/54 total although No 10 Rance was unbeaten on 21 to show why he was an opening batsman as an age-group representative player.

CD seamer Doug Bracewell is beginning to fizz before he leads the Stags into the Ford Trophy campaign starting on Wednesday next week. Photo/Photosport

Bracewell and Rance simply did the rest with the ball for the defending champions.

"The idea was to try to take the first session away from Auckland off the bat and although we lost a couple of wickets it was good to get a partnership there with Dougie," said Leopard.

However, the 21-year-old rookie said while it wasn't a second innings total to write home about it was imperative to note that it was harder to eke out runs when a game reaches that juncture.

However, Leopard affirmed the collective felt they had mustered enough runs to ask the Aucklanders the same question all over again.

The Innovative Electrical Ltd Napier Technical Old Boys allrounder the Stags did quite make it to 80 overs to claim a new cherry but they hung tough as they chipped away at the Aces batsmen with five overs remaining in the day's play.

With wickets coming at quick intervals CD encroached the extra half an hour of play in the day for a well-earned Labour Day weekend although the Bay had started its holiday with HB Anniversary Day today.

"It doesn't every day so we're really pleased to have done that."

Leopard said patience was vital as they adopted a mindset of going hard at the Aces all day with time in the bank.

"We've got two out two so we're going to have a bit of white-ball cricket now for a good start after having a rest from the red ball."

Coach Smith, he said, was thrilled for the team for having worked as a unit and shown character in sticking to the blueprint when the Aucklanders had put up a little resistance.

CD batsman Christian Leopard scores this time although wicketkeeper Ben Horne eventually snaffled his wicket towards a record-breaking first-class catches for the Aces. Photo/Photosport

Leopard, a former Napier Boys' High School student, is relishing his maiden full-contract season with the Stags.

"I'm loving it. It's a very cool environment to be in so it's a dream to be playing 24-hour cricket," he said as CD players will spend a day in Auckland tomorrow before returning to Nelson to prepare for the one-dayers.

The Aucklanders didn't go away empty-handed after Horne took nine catches behind the stumps to established a first-class match record for his major association. He took a milestone six catches for innings for the Aces yesterday.

At the Basin Reserve, hosts Wellington Firebirds also crushed the sparks out of the Volts today with an innings and 101-run victory.

At Hagley Oval, Christchurch, the Canterbury Kings are staring down the barrel of defeat again as the Northern Districts Knights resume tomorrow on the final day with a lead of 354 runs with five wickets in hand but a declaration can't be too far away.