DANE CLEAVER produced a career-best T20 innings right when his team needed to stay in the Dream11 Super Smash hunt.

Backed up with a timely four-fa from BLAIR TICKNER, the Stags fended off the Canterbury Kings for a vital 17-run victory at Hagley Oval.

The win has pushed the Stags back up from fourth to second on the ladder, with one game to go ahead of this summer’s Finals.

Rival teams have two games in hand so nothing is in the bag yet for the Stags, but an improved performance has reignited hopes of making the top three contenders yet again

Cleaver set up the strong total of 181 for eight with his 81 off just 51 balls — including three sixes and eight fours, but also working the ball with industry.

Later, a fantastic start with the ball from Tickner — who re-discovered his length to sit on figures of 3-7 in his first spell — would put the Stags right on top, but Cleaver’s early impetus would prove the essential difference after the Canterbury Kings staged a late fightback.

Cleaver kept his composure after losing both GEORGE WORKER and CHRISTIAN LEOPARD inside the first three overs, Kings quick Ed Nuttall putting himself on a hat-trick across his first two overs of the innings.

TOM BRUCE dispatched the hat-trick ball to the fence and partnered Cleaver for the first of two key 50-stands, putting on 64 for the third wicket at more than run-a-ball pace.

Stags captain Tom Bruce scoops a six | PHOTOSPORT

Bruce was eventually stumped charging opposing skipper Cole McConchie on 29 (23), having earlier won the toss on a fine, if windy, Christchurch afternoon and jumped at batting on the same deck that had witnessed the startling Kings-Knights clash two days earlier.

The Kings soon had another breakthrough but, from 88 for four in the 11th, JOSH CLARKSON provided core support.

Soon Cleaver began attacking afresh as Nuttall and Will Williams came back into the attack and swept past his previous career best — a match-winning unbeaten 77* in last season’s Elimination Final at Eden Park Outer Oval last season, before the Kings finally managed to get him caught in the 17th over at 143 for five.

Working more often than bludgeoning the ball — bar a six off Andrew Ellis, Clarkson took responsibility at the death, batting through until the penultimate ball of the innings when he was run out going for a tight second after a 25-ball 36.

He ensured the Stags kept moving forward to a solid total, and now they were keen to show they could step up their performance with the ball as well.

Needing nine per over from the get-go, the Kings were quickly on the back foot after Seth Rance found some serious hoop and trapped Jack Boyle in front for no score in the first over.

Seth Rance found plenty of swing | PHOTOSPORT

Three tight overs followed and the Kings were already facing a required run rate in double figures.

Veteran Stephen Murdoch (32 off 27) helped ease the pressure on the hosts with an offensive attack on AJAZ PATEL’s first over, but there was a scare for the hosts, too, with Chad Bowes struck on the helmet visor after attempting to scoop BEN WHEELER, the ball bouncing up off his gloves.

PHOTOSPORT

Bowes had already narrowly avoided chopping on against Wheeler’s first delivery, the left-armer causing immediate trouble for both batsmen.

The arrival of Tickner at the bowling crease in the sixth over had a massive impact, the big paceman removing Bowes with his third legitimate ball. He would claim another two batsmen early in next over to have three useful wickets in seven balls, the Kings suddenly under real pressure at 48 for four, and Leo Carter suffering a two-ball duck fresh off having hit six sixes in an over against the vanquished Knights here just two days earlier.

Tickner’s third over didn’t snare a wicket, but cost only three runs as Cam Fletcher looked to provide Murdoch with another stand.

Murdoch was about to take his leave against Wheeler, however — leaving Fletcher with a big mission.

Fletcher got his home crowd’s hearts pumping with a well-controlled unbeaten 65 off just 37 balls.

Giving himself width, he interspersed some stylish shots with pragmatic swats in the quest for quick runs, reaching a personal milestone of 1000 T20 career runs en route.

But he needed someone to go with him, with the equation still in the danger zone.

After KIERAN NOEMA-BARNETT had quickly secured Andrew Ellis caught in the deep, Henry Shipley (above, PHOTOSPORT) pumped 27 off just 15 balls to give the Kings one last shot at it.

Tickner’s excellent figures took some damage in the desperation, but he also had the last laugh as he snuffed out the hostile 53-run stand for the seventh wicket with Shipley caught by CHRISTIAN LEOPARD at the end of the 18th.

The Kings couldn’t get up from there as they batted out their last two overs, the Stags jubilant not just to bank the points, but to have done so with focus and tenacity.

SCORES

After a quick break, the Stags will head to Dunedin for their televised final round robin match against the well performed Otago Volts this Saturday, another must-win in the shootout for qualification.

The doubleheader will begin with the CENTRAL HINDS likewise looking for a win against the Otago Sparks, with the winner of the game to progress to the women's Elimination Final. Both matches will be on both SKY and Prime as well as broadcast live by Radio Sport, with live-scoring at www.nzc.nz from 12.40am.

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Article added: Wednesday 08 January 2020