WILL YOUNG's career-best one-day century led the way as the CENTRAL STAGS returned to Pukekura Park for the first time this season, in front of a good little crowd on a fine Sunday at our New Plymouth venue.

Sent in by the Otago Volts, Young's beautifully paced 128 off 113 balls with 10 boundaries and five sixes was all the more important for his side as the Stags didn't get a good start, Jacob Duffy quickly ripping out three of top four wickets to have the Stags 33/3.

Duffy would eventually have Young's wicket as well, but he would have to wait for the rest of the innings to get it, to seal a five-wicket bag.

Young reached his 10th List A century and fifth for the Stags in The Ford Trophy off just 99 balls, and let rip towards the end against Michael Rippon, thumping him over Fillis Street and into the house's driveway across the road.

Crucially the Stags' captain had found support from another Taranaki local in TOM BRUCE (34) and JOSH CLARKSON (42) who also sent the ball out of the park, and it enabled the Stags to reach a defendable 268, even though they were bowled out in the 45th over.

That will have been short of the intended tally, mindful of the threat looming in the Otago Volts' line-up with Glenn and Dale Phillips both named in a Volts' Ford Trophy side for the first time, following BLACKCAP Glenn's transfer from Auckland earlier this year. And, young power-hitter Llew Johnson was coming off his big maiden 50 in the last match.

The combination of the explosive hitters with Pukekura Park's short square boundaries promised some fireworks.

However, the Stags' experienced opening attack of SETH RANCE (3-29) and DOUG BRACEWELL (3-38) took five wickets between them in their opening spell, rocking the Volts back onto the back foot.

The first-change Ray Toole, in for his first game of the one-day campaign, got the big wicket of Glenn Phillips, after a 23-ball 34 that had already seen two sixes smashed out of the ground.

It was a big blow to the Volts, and Max Chu's fighting 27 proved the only other score of note as they imploded to be 133 all out in the 26th over, suffering their second big loss to the Stags in the space of three games - a nine-wicket drubbing in Dunedin followed by a 123-run loss on Sunday.

The top of the table Stags (equal on points with the Cantabs) will be back at Pukekura Park on Tuesday 13 December and Thursday 15 December to play their rounds against the Auckland Aces - a rematch of the 2022 Grand Final earlier this year.

After Thursday's match on the 15th, we head to The Aftermatch Function with ROSS TAYLOR, MARK GREATBATCH, BEN HURLEY and Friends for a great night's entertainment - Tickets with three-course meal and drinks package included, awesome auctions to bid for and more, $160 or $1500 for a table of 10, check it out here.

SEE THE STAGS v VOLTS VIDEO SCORECARD

Article added: Tuesday 06 December 2022