DAY 1
The Auckland Aces headed into the halfway mark of the championship sitting second on the table, with a chance of going top. Would the Firebirds oblige - or register their first win of the competition.
Sent in by home captain Michael Bracewell, the Aces didn't make the best of starts: 3/2 after Iain McPeake and Ollie Newton each zeroed in on the openers.
However, a 99-run stand between Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips (below) steadied the ship for the visitors.
Phillips produced a brisk half century - his 54 coming off just 60 balls, but would fall inside the session when Michael Snedden skimmed one past his defensive prod to have him caught behind at 102/3.
Martin Guptill would be gone by lunchtime too, after trying to establish himself for half an hour, but after the break a further two half centuries would make doubly sure the Aces had something to play with in their first innings.
Chapman had reached 64 by lunch and was drawing ever closer to a ton in the middle session before Jamie Gibson did him with length. Chapman trudged back, caught on 95 after three hours of work.
By then the visitors were six down, but the batting kept coming - Ben Horne (57) and Kyle Jamieson (51) both putting in useful late order stints for a half century each.
The pair put on 85 for the seventh wicket, before Iain McPeake (4-53) made three late strikes to stop the innings in a hurry at 279. McPeake's effort was a special one, taking him into the top 20 first-class wicket-takers of all-time for Wellington.
By stumps, the Firebirds were 27/1 in reply with Tom Blundell back in the pavilion early after the challenging Jamieson made the breakthrough.
Article added: Sunday 15 November 2020
