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Bowes blasts fastest double-ton in big win

Chad Bowes Canterbury Ford Trophy cricket
Canterbury's Chad Bowes struck the fastest List-A double-century in history. PHOTO: CANTERBURY CRICKET

Canterbury head the points table after two rounds of the Ford Trophy competition after breaking plenty of records.


It's all still sinking in for Canterbury opening batter Chad Bowes. The 32-year-old smashed the word's fastest List-A double-century, off just 103 balls, in Canterbury's record 240-run victory of the Otago Volts at Hagley Oval.


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It was the highest winning margin in the 54-year history of the Ford Trophy.


A typically understated Bowes said: "might sink in over the next day or two. I probably haven't hit the ball that consistently well before, so it was nice to get most of them out of the middle, and hit it around the park."


Bowes broke a record that had been shared internationally by South Australia's Travis Head and Tamil Nadu's Narayan Jagadeesan, who both scored their quickest 200 off 114 balls.


Under pressure, the Volts were rolled for just 103 in reply and the result means defending champions Canterbury have a perfect record of two bonus point wins from the first two rounds of the season, opening up a five-point lead over the Wellington Firebirds - who meanwhile defeated the Auckland Aces at Bay Oval - on the points table.


Once again the longest and closest match of the day was to be found at New Plymouth's Pukekura Park where a delayed and reduced 44-over game didn't stop Central Districts and Northern Districts trading blows in a high-scoring last-over thriller.


Three centuries were scored, Northern's Tim Seiftert top-scoring for the visitors with 102 in their total of 352-8. 


Central responded with a 217-run second-wicket stand, a record for them in matches against Northern and just short of the overall Stags second-wicket record of 224.


Last season's top run-scorer for Central, Brad Schmulian, posted his third Ford Trophy hundred (a career-best 126 off 101) and Jack Boyle added his first Central List-A ton (104 off 99) to his previous four tons for Canterbury and one for a New Zealand XI against India A.


A total of 36 sixes were slammed in the match between the two teams and Central kept their foot in the door to the death.


However, a flurry of late wickets left tailenders (and T20 10th wicket record-breakers against the same team last season) Jayden Lennox and Blair Tickner needing to find some unlikely last-over heroics - a collective fightback from ND's Kristian Clarke, Brett Hampton and Neil Wagner shutting Central out at the death.


Central remain the only winless side ahead of Saturday's third round, where they face the Firebirds in Wellington. The Aces welcome Otago to Mount Maunganui and Canterbury host Northern Districts in Christchurch.


Canterbury have 10 points, Wellington and Otago five each, Auckland and Central Districts four and Northern Districts no points.

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