An impressive century from Colin Munro has steered the Auckland Aces to a two-wicket victory in the Ford Trophy one-dayer final over the Otago Volts on Sunday.
Munro's 60-ball 104 helped Auckland chase down 284 with 36 balls remaining at Eden Park's outer oval.
With their lineup stacked with returning Blackcaps, Auckland was always expected to cruise to victory but they had to work hard for it.
After winning the toss, Otago elected to bat first and they got off to a great start, before losing openers Mitch Renwick and Hamish Rutherford in the eighth over.
Rutherford's innings came to a painful end when he was struck on the helmet by a Lockie Ferguson bouncer and went off with concussion and never returned.
He wasn't the only Volt to leave the field for a concussion test, with Dean Foxcroft also going off for a concussion test after running into Aces fielder Glenn Phillips.
Foxcroft lay on the ground for minutes after the incident but later returned g to make 42 off 51.
The Volts then suffered a middle-order collapse and were left reeling on 187/7 only for former Aces star Anaru Kitchen to save the day with a 54-ball 60.
Otago was eventually bowled out for 283, with Phillps, usually a wicket-keeper, taking 3/20 with the ball.
Munro then led the Aces charge with the bat, bringing up his century in the 19th over. When he raised his bat, he'd scored 103 of the Aces' 141 runs.
He departed two overs late having hit 12 fours and seven sixes, leaving the Aces on 149/4.
Mark Chapman then guided the Aces home with an unbeaten 84, which saw Auckland win their second Ford Trophy title in three years.
Jacob Duffy was the pick of the Otago bowlers, taking 4/58, but his heroics weren't enough to stop an Auckland side which featured New Zealand internationals Martin Guptill, Munro, Jeet Raval, Phillips, Chapman, Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson.
