Jesse Ryder
The Jesse Ryder show continued in Mt Maunganui yesterday
but he was merely the warmup for the main act, as Northern
Districts pair Anton Devcich and Brad Scott helped their side
to an impressive nine-wicket HRV Cup win over Wellington.
Ryder has been in incredible form this summer as he plays
with the sort of freedom that comes with not worrying about
his international career, and smacked 62 off just 37 balls to
help Wellington set a big total of 197 for four in their 20
overs.
He hit five fours and five sixes and put on 90 for the first
wicket with Tamin Iqbal (68 off 49) but his innings was
overshadowed in the end by Devcich and Scott who went on a
scoring spree.
Devcich (92 off 57) and Scott (74 off 49) put on a record 165
for the first wicket before Scott departed to Ryder's
bowling. English professional Steven Croft (17 off 10) then
maintained the momentum to ensure ND got home with one over
to spare.
The ease of their chase and brutality of their hitting was a
treat for the holiday crowd at Bay Oval. None of Wellington's
bowlers escaped treatment - the first two 50s came off 32
balls each but the third 50 came off just 19 deliveries as
Devcich and Scott put the hammer down.
The result sees Northern Districts jump ahead of Otago at the
head of the HRV Cup table but they have played one more game
than the Volts.
Late heroics from Gareth Andrew saw Canterbury sneak past
Central Districts in Nelson today to collect their first win
of the season.
The Wizards looked to be in trouble at 72-5 in the 13th over
as they fell dangerously short of the required run rate in
their chase for 153 for victory, but Andrew saw them home
with 53 off just 25 balls. His innings included four fours
and four sixes and he found good support from Todd Astle (25
off 19) as the pair put on 77 for the sixth wicket in just
six overs.
Earlier Central Districts, looking for just their second win
of the competition, posted a useful 152-8 with Mathew
Sinclair (38 off 35) and Kieran Noema-Barnett (36 off 22) the
main contributors.
Points table: Northern Districts 20, Otago 16, Wellington 16,
Auckland 8, Canterbury 4, Central Districts 4.
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