Saxton Oval delivered the goods again for the Central Stags who remain unbeaten in the national Plunket Shield after another big victory.
BLACKCAPS Test spinner Ajaz Patel took his 21st five-wicket bag on the last afternoon in Stoke and it meant that strong start with the bat by a fighting Northern Districts top order dwindled away to become a 279-run loss.
ND opener Jeet Raval was left stranded on an unbeaten 103*, becoming just the second Northern Districts player to carry his bat through an entire innings - but it was in vain against the persistent hosts.
The Stags are now in second spot on the first-class championship table, breathing down Canterbury’s neck after they also secured a big third-round win against the Otago Volts. They two teams are now the only unbeaten teams in the country.
ND's last man Joe Walker was unable to bat due to a wrist injury, so the Saxton Oval match was completed on the fall of the ninth wicket - fittingly taken by the match's double centurion, Brad Schmulian.
Schmulian said his first-class double century (200 not out) at Saxton Oval was more satisfying to him even that his New Zealand debut record innings of 203 which was also against Northern Districts, in 2017.
"This one was the first hundred that I have scored in which we won the match, so to contribute to the team's result means more to me,” said Schmulian.
"I've also discovered how hard first-class cricket can be since my debut, when the double century kind of just happened, and I achieved something quite special, but while I was still a bit naive, without quite absorbing it all at the time.
“This one meant a hell of a lot because I knew that I had to work hard for it, and I took that opportunity, but I'll look back on both of them fondly.”
It was the fourth time in 33 matches that the tenacious first drop had scored a century, par for the course in the most demanding format of the game.
The Stags pocketed 18 of the possible 20 points and sit just three points behind Canterbury in second spot, with a gap now opening up on the table behind the leaders and the chasing teams. The two leaders had drawn with each other in the first round at Saxton after a fighting save by the Stags’ lower order, a result that has kept Canterbury from pulling away in the the early rounds.
Next week's fourth round is the final first-class round before the mid-season interval, and will see the Stags travelling to host the Wellington Firebirds at one of their other home grounds, Palmerston North’s Fitzherbert Park from Monday, 14 November.
The Stags and Central Hinds will return to Saxton Oval on 21 January 2023 to play a Dream11 Super Smash doubleheader day against the Otago Volts and defending T20 champions, the Otago Sparks. It will be the first Super Smash games in Nelson in five years, and the first time the Central Hinds - featuring Nelson star Claudia Green - will have a T20 match at their South Island home venue.
PLUNKET SHIELD POINTS AFTER THREE ROUNDS:
Canterbury 44 (2 wins)
Central Stags 41 (2 wins)
Otago Volts 27 (1 win)
Wellington Firebirds 27 (1 win)
Auckland Aces 26 (1 win)
Northern Districts 15 (0 wins)
Maximum points available per round: 20
