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Manchester United have made an approach to the representatives of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, Fabrizio Romano reports.

What’s the latest news on Man United and Mac Allister?

The Red Devils are on the hunt for a new midfielder and forward this summer, looking to build on a successful first season under Erik ten Hag.

Mac Allister has emerged as a real target in recent weeks, with journalist Steve Bates recently claiming that Ten Hag has held transfer talks with director of football John Murtough, technical director Darren Fletcher and chief executive Richard Arnold.

The Argentinian is thought to be on the manager’s radar, and it looks as if the Red Devils have made a first move for the World Cup winner.

Romano took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share what he’s heard on Mac Allister. He said that the Red Devils, along with Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool have all approached Mac Allister’s camp, with the player expected to depart the south coast over the coming months.

“Alexis Mac Allister, expected to leave early this summer — understand there are three clubs in the race: Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.

“These clubs have approached player’s camp to discuss the project. BHAFC will decide price tag soon.”

What would Mac Allister bring to Old Trafford?

We think Mac Allister could offer plenty to Ten Hag, with the 24-year-old turning out in defensive, central and attacking midfield roles during the current campaign.

He has contributed to an impressive 12 goals in 29 games, showing that he has ability in the final third as well as contributing defensively. As per WhoScored, Mac Allister ranks highly for tackles and shots per 90 in the Seagulls' squad and has recently been hailed as 'world class' by members of the media.

Having won the World Cup in the winter and had his best season in front of goal for Brighton this term, he appears to be at the peak of his powers so could come in and immediately make an impact alongside the likes of star midfielders Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.

Ten Hag will be able to get a closer look at his summer target later this month in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, and who knows, he could be turning out under the Dutchman next season, should United pip two of their rivals to his signature over the coming months.

Worcestershire have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the build-up to their County Championship fixture against Kent earlier this month, which was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a waterlogged outfield.The match, which had been due to take place at New Road between April 10 and 13, was called off by the umpires, Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth, after four consecutive blank days, following heavy rain on the eve of the contest that left the outfield like a “jelly-blancmange”, according to Tim Packwood, the head groundsman.The situation drew an angry response from Kent’s captain, Sam Northeast. “We turned up on the first day and knew pretty much straight away there would be no play over the four days,” he said. “It is unacceptable. This is not bad luck. I’d like to think there could have been something done.”We have had days of sun but not played any cricket. It’s not fair on the fans that travelled, sorted out hotels or taken time off work.”However, following an investigation by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), the chairman Gerard Elias QC exonerated Worcestershire but invited the ECB to consider any actions or safeguards that might prevent a similar occurrence in the future.In particular, Elias found “no evidence that the pitch itself was unfit, or that Worcestershire CCC had, by the action or wilful inaction of its groundstaff, done anything which materially adversely impacted upon the possibility of play.”Despite recognising the “significant financial loss and inconvenience, as well as disappointment, experienced by both counties and their supporters”, Elias was satisfied that reasonable decisions and actions had been taken by the club in the period leading up to the match.Worcestershire’s players, he noted, had been able to practice on both the square and the outfit on the eve of the match and therefore could have reasonably believed that the ground would be fit for play the following day.Worcestershire have been plagued by floods and waterlogged conditions at New Road in recent years. In 2007, another Championship meeting with Kent was washed out without a ball being bowled, after which the club was unable to play at the venue for the final three months of the season.

A number of Liverpool supporters have been left fuming after a new update suggested the Reds are unlikely to sign Jude Bellingham this summer.

The Lowdown: Liverpool’s most wanted

The Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder is one of world football’s most highly-rated young players currently, becoming an influential figure for club and country.

It looks likely that Bellingham will end his stay at Dortmund this summer, however, ahead of what could be a high-profile auction for his signature.

Liverpool have emerged as arguably the front-runners to sign the 19-year-old in recent months, with Jurgen Klopp reportedly desperate to land him at the end of the season.

On Monday, however, it was claimed by The Athletic‘s Ornstein on Twitter that the Reds now look increasingly unlikely to snap up Bellingham this summer, with Real Madrid and Manchester City in a strong financial position to get the deal done:

“As things stand, Liverpool increasingly unlikely to sign Jude Bellingham this summer. Expected price & financial power of rivals puts #LFC hopes in doubt. Pursuit not off & no firm decisions but sense is #MCFC + #RMFC in stronger position.”

The Latest: Fans left fuming

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to reveal their frustration at the news, in what is an undoubted blow for the Reds:

“This would be a fairly humbling/humiliating outcome given how LFC have backed themselves into a corner over signing ‘the right’ midfielder”  – @Hari_Sethi

“Sit back on other potential targets to wait for our number 1 guy while we’re competing at the top of the game. Fall off a cliff because we didn’t sign anybody and still miss out on target number 1.”  – @LFCData

“Now if anyone is still backing FSG you need your head tested!!!! They do this all the time! Release information to journalists & we all just take it lying down!!! Think it’s time to sell up.”  – @JasonLFC1979

“I cannot emphasise this enough, this would be the most embarrassing thing for this football club in the past decade.”  – @donkopleone

“Imagine being at the top & then waiting 2 years for the supposed “right” player & then missing out on them too. All this while we sacrifice results & club position. The club’s pretty much broken from the top.”  – @rithwikrajendra

“Rinse-Repeat”  – @AnfieldIndex

The Verdict: Almighty blow for Reds

It is worth stressing that Liverpool are still far from out of the race to sign Bellingham but this is certainly a concerning update, given how big a transfer target he has been.

To many Reds fans, the club have always considered the one-goal England international to be a likely summer arrival, so to suddenly see him look more likely to head elsewhere is a bitter pill to swallow.

This is a generational footballer who has the ability to become one of the best players on the planet – he already has 20 goals and 24 assists for Dortmund and been hailed as a ‘superstar’ Roy Keane – so the hope is that there is a fresh twist before the end of the season.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou guided his rampant side to victory over Hearts on Wednesday evening in what was the 57-year-old’s 100th game in charge of the Old Firm outfit, with the Hoops coming from behind to seal a 3-1 win at Parkhead.

That triumph – which was the Greek-Aussie’s 74th win of his tenure thus far – has ensured that the Glasgow giants remain nine points above bitter rivals Rangers at the summit, with the Scottish champions looking rather imperious in the pursuit of their league crown.

On that landmark night for the experienced coach, Postecoglou was largely left to thank prolific marksman Kyogo Furuhashi for powering the Bhoys to three points, with the Japan international having simply stolen the show once again in attack.

How did Kyogo perform against Hearts?

With the hosts having suffered an early setback as Josh Ginelly fired Robbie Neilson’s men ahead inside six minutes, up stepped Kyogo to drag his side back into the game, with the 28-year-old producing a stunning, driven cross to tee up compatriot Daizen Maeda at the back post, with the latter man duly prodding home for his tenth goal of the season in all competitions.

That crucial assist had seen the former Vissel Kobe ace showcase his relentless dynamism to latch onto Anthony Ralston’s threaded pass down the flanks, with that expert movement having again been evident as the £19k-per-week man then completed the turnaround on the hour mark.

The diminutive striker showed “ridiculous movement” – in the words of journalist John McGinley – to make space for himself inside the area, before powering his fierce effort past a helpless Zander Clark following a typically pin-point pass from playmaker, Aaron Mooy.

Those two moments of magic – which were followed by a late stunner from substitute Sead Haksabanovic – further rubberstamped the 5 foot 7 gem’s importance to Postecoglou’s side, having again proven himself a truly “clever player”, as per journalist Liam O’Hare.

It is also remarkable that the 16-cap speedster was able to make such an impact despite having largely been on the periphery of the game, as he made just a solitary pass and was restricted to just 14 touches in total in his 70-minute outing – fewer than teammate Joe Hart recorded in the sticks (39).

Even after that starring role – which saw Kyogo record the highest match rating on the night of 7.8, as per Sofascore – Postecoglou was clearly frustrated at the inability to get the in-form asset further involved in proceedings, having stated post-match:

“Kyogo makes fantastic runs and sometimes I get really frustrated that after 18-20 months we still don’t see them. Could he be doing even more damage? Absolutely.

“We didn’t use him well but the beauty of it is that he doesn’t get frustrated, he keeps making those runs.”

It is a credit to the ‘electric’ talent – as described by Glasgow Live’s Matthew Fulton – that he is still able to steal the limelight even with his opportunities restricted, although it is a mouthwatering prospect to think that a player who already boasts 20 Scottish Premiership goals this season could be ‘doing even more damage’.

The rest of the division, beware…

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، عن دخول قائد منتخب مصر وفريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، ضمن قائمة اللاعبين المطلوبين للانضمام إلى برشلونة في فترة الانتقالات الصيفية المقبلة.

وسينتهي عقد محمد صلاح مع ليفربول بنهاية الموسم الحالي، صيف 2025. ولا يزال مستقبل الدولي المصري مغموراً مع فريقه الإنجليزي على الرغم من إعلان رغبته بالبقاء داخل جدران أنفيلد.

ويحتل محمد صلاح، صدارة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 15 هدفاً، متفوقاً على المهاجم النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند، صاحب الـ13 هدفاُ. 

اقرأ أيضاً.. سبورت: برشلونة يقترب من حسم أولى صفقات الموسم المقبل

ووفقاً لما جاء في صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”، فإن نادي برشلونة قد وضع 6 لاعبين من القارة الأوروبية بهدف التعاقد معهم في الصيف المقبل، مع إقتراب نهاية عقدهم مع فرقهم.

وضمت قائمة اللاعبين المطلوبين في برشلونة كلًا من مهاجم ليفربول، محمد صلاح، والغاني توماس بارتي لاعب آرسنال بالإضافة إلى المهاجم الكندي جوناثان ديفيد مهاجم ليل الفرنسي.

وشهدت القائمة أيضاً تواجد ثنائي بايرن ميونخ، جوشوا كيميتش وألفونسو ديفيز، بالإضافة إلى جوناثان تاه مدافع باير ليفركوزن الألماني.

وبحسب ما جاء في الصحف الإسبانية فإن إدارة برشلونة تعمل على التعاقد مع اللاعبين الذين تنتهي عقودهم بنهاية الصيف المقبل، نظراً للظروف الإقتصادية التي يمر بها النادي الكتالوني.

ومع اقتراب نهاية عقد هؤلاء اللاعبين، يحق لهم التوقيع لأي نادي بداية من شهر يناير المقبل، ومن المقرر أن تشهد الفترة المقبلة تطورات جديدة حول إمكانية تعاقد برشلونة معهم.

Can Celtic get back to winning ways in Old Firm derbies?

Despite clinching the Premiership title last weekend at Tannadice, and being 17 points clear at the top, the Hoops have actually lost the last two Glasgow derbies, demolished 3-0 at Ibrox in January, before Rangers were last-gasp 3-2 victors at Parkhead in March.

So, even though the title race is done and dusted, the Celts will be determined to pick up three points in Govan on Sunday and, if they are to achieve this, Brendan Rodgers should unleash the player he himself has described as the club’s “best winger”.

Celtic injury latest ahead of Old Firm

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Rodgers confirmed that Jota will be sidelined for up to nine months due to a knee injury suffered at Tannadice, which is a heartbreaking blow for the Portuguese winger, who’s only just returned to the club.

Meantime, Alistair Johnston “won’t be available” either, Rodgers confirmed, with the Canadian set to be protected over the coming weeks to make sure he is ready for the Scottish Cup Final later this month against Aberdeen.

This is certainly a blow because, as outlined by Scott Bradley of Breaking the Lines, Johnston has been ‘pivotal’ to Celtic’s success this season, but he does have an obvious deputy in Anthony Ralston, who will therefore get a run in the side.

In attack, however, Rodgers has a decision to make, so we believe he should start the club’s most decorated player.

Who Rodgers should start in Celtic's attack vs Rangers

Daizen Maeda has absolutely been on fire this season, scoring 33 goals across all competitions, requiring seven more from the remaining five fixtures to become only the second player since Henrik Larsson to reach 40 goals in a single campaign, matching the achievement of Leigh Griffiths.

However, especially since his compatriot Kyōgo Furuhashi was sold to Stade Rennais in January, Maeda has played much of his best football as a central striker, starting four of the last six Premiership matches in that position.

So, if Rodgers does not want to move Maeda, who are his wide options?

Nicolas Kühn

47

3,075

20

14

Yang Hyun-jun

30

1,126

5

6

James Forrest

28

982

Zero

6

Nicolas Kühn’s double against Dundee United will surely earn him a start at Ibrox, while, on the other side, with Yang Hyun-jun still nursing an elbow injury, could James Forrest be handed a rare start?

When he gets his hands on the Premiership trophy in a few weeks, Forrest will become Celtic’s most-decorated player of all time, with this set to be his 26th major honour, hoping to add an eighth Scottish Cup later this month.

Appearances

523

Minutes

32,578

Goals

109

Assists

109

Premiership titles

13

Scottish Cups

7

League Cups

6

Forrest’s Celtic career is truly incredible, running out of time if he is to score in a 16th successive Premiership season, so what better time to do it than at Ibrox, having never previously scored away to Rangers in ten previous attempts?

Rodgers described Forrest as Celtic’s “best winger”, adding that he “injects quality” whenever he is called upon, so it could be time for the Scotland international to start and make a big impact on Sunday.

Not just Jota: Second Celtic star ruled out for multiple weeks with injury

The Bhoys have injury problems to contend with…

BySean Markus Clifford May 3, 2025

Everton have now made a move for Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga, but they will have to do battle for his signature with another Premier League club, a new report has revealed.

What's the latest Everton transfer news?

As reported by journalist Rudy Galetti, the Toffees are now focusing on bringing in a new "offensive player", so a new defender may not be considered a priority for Sean Dyche, but the manager does have a couple of centre-back targets in mind.

The Toffees have shown an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, amid his uncertain future at Old Trafford, although Galetti believes the chances of him remaining with the Red Devils are growing every day.

As there is "nothing concrete" with Everton and Maguire, they may choose to move on to other targets, having previously been named as potential suitors for Red Bull Salzburg's Oumar Solet, who has expressed his desire to play in the Premier League.

According to reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), Dyche may have a new target in mind, having joined the race for Tottenham defender Tanganga, who is also a target for last season's Champions League finalists, Inter Milan.

The Toffees have already "moved" to sign the Spurs ace, indicating they could hijack Premier League rivals Luton Town, who are currently thought to be leading the race for his signature, currently pushing for a loan with an option to buy.

More news is "expected soon", with the 24-year-old likely to stay in England, and Sport Witness speculate Everton could make a more convincing offer if they try to buy him outright, considering he has not been in Ange Postecoglou's plans so far this season.

Read The Latest Everton Transfer News HERE

How good is Japhet Tanganga?

The London-born defender has found game time very hard to come by in north London for a number of years now, having been given minutes on the pitch very sparsely in the 2022-23 campaign, making a total of just seven appearances in all competitions.

It is fair to say the centre-back's Tottenham career has not panned out the way he would have liked so far, but that does not mean he wouldn't be a good addition for Everton, and a move to Goodison Park could be exactly what he needs to reignite his previous form.

Former Aston Villa man Gabby Agbonlahor has previously lauded the £25k-per-week defender, while also suggesting he could take major strides if he is given more game time, saying:

“I’ve watched him a few times and sometimes he can be outstanding but sometimes he can be done in behind and make silly fouls.

“Someone like him, at his age, needs to be playing regularly. You don’t want to be a squad player when you are young.

With Tanganga yet to get a look in at Spurs this season, it seems likely the north Londoners would be willing to let him leave for a relatively low fee, and he could be a decent signing for Everton, although it would be a risk, given his lack of game time across a number of years.

Ben Cotton has joined the exodus of young players from Derbyshire as the county continues to slash the numbers in its first-team squad in an effort to lift expectations

David Hopps02-Feb-2018Ben Cotton has joined the exodus of young players from Derbyshire as the county continues to slash the numbers in its first-team squad in an effort to lift expectations.Kim Barnett, Derbyshire’s cricket advisor, has overseen the departure of seven players in the close-season, including four young seam bowlers who were once presented as being central to Derbyshire’s future but failed to make a major impact.Greg Cork, son of the former England bowler Dominic, Tom Milnes and Tom Taylor, who has been snapped up by Leicestershire, have all moved on.Only the loss of Shiv Thakor, one of the most talented players on their books, was beyond Derbyshire’s control as they released him with immediate effect in November, less than a week after he was found guilty of two accounts of sexual exposure.Derbyshire are down to 14 first-team players, with back-up from a small academy intake, and are actively pursuing an overseas pace bowler to supplement their numbers. They failed to win a Championship match in 2016 but after Barnett returned to the club won three last season and almost qualified for the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast.Barnett is unapologetic about raising the expectations for young players, believing that a large staff with limited opportunities, and equally limited expectations, is a problem.”I think the size of the staff has been an issue,” he said. “If you have 23 players and can’t give a number of them opportunities, that’s a problem. If you have others who have had opportunities and not made it, then that is also an issue.”We’re now down to more manageable numbers, not only to give people opportunities, but also for the finances moving forward.”Cotton, who was in the final year of his contract, signed his first professional deal with Derbyshire in 2014, featuring in 20 first-class fixtures for the club and taking 37 wickets. He also appeared in 29 one-day matches and 18 T20 games, taking 32 and 20 wickets respectively.Derbyshire’s academy has yet to prove itself a reliable provider of county cricketers of repute. Last season Alex Hughes became only the second graduate to win a county cap since the academy was formed in 2003.Barnett added: “The ECB have long been looking at the success of English academies, but in many respects we were ahead of that by bringing 14, 15 and 16-year-olds into our Academy with a view to developing them into first-team players.”By 20 or 21, you need to then be genuinely pushing for a first-team place and then going on to become a capped player. Alex Hughes is the current example of the type of success you want, trained up, in the first-team and then he earned his cap. We need to do more of that.”

The Gunners spent more than £200 million last summer, but still don't have a squad strong enough to win the Premier League

Mikel Arteta and Declan Rice both said the exact same thing after Sunday's 2-1 loss at Fulham: "Not good enough." And they were right. Arsenal didn't deserve to take any points home from their trip to Craven Cottage, so dire was their display.

The real concern for the Gunners, though, is that same phrase could be applied to their squad. As it stands, Arteta's men don't look remotely good enough to challenge for this season's Premier League title.

Rice added on , "There are a lot of media who talk and say Arsenal are going to win the league this year and we are better this year, but we don’t get involved in that." Which is the right approach, really, because it wouldn't do anyone connected with the club any good to dwell on the fact that the squad is actually weaker now than it was last season – and that's a deeply depressing thought for the fans, given the club spent more than £200 million ($250m) during the summer transfer window.

Rice, to his credit, has proven an excellent acquisition. His goals alone have been worth five points to Arsenal, and that's without getting into what he adds to the midfield. Jurrien Timber was also desperately unfortunate to suffer a serious injury on his debut after impressing in pre-season, but the decision to spend £62m ($78m) on Kai Havertz remains as baffling now as it was last July. The Germany international has enjoyed something resembling a mini-revival in recent weeks, but there's still no shaking the feeling that Arsenal's ambitions would have been far better served by signing a proven goalscorer.

However, it's been made abundantly clear during the first half of the season that Arsenal aren't just short up front. Indeed, a squad that was meant to challenge for the title is alarmingly short in several key areas…

GettyGoalkeeper

Arteta can't be criticised for wanting an upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale, who is error-prone and poor with the ball at his feet, and David Raya looked like the right addition, given how impressively he'd performed at Brentford last season.

However, despite the constant support of his manager, Raya has looked very, very shaky at times this season, and been beaten by shots that never should have got past him. The Spaniard just doesn't inspire confidence and that's a major problem for a back four.

There's no suggestion that Arsenal will look to sign another goalkeeper this month, with Arteta clearly set to stick with Raya, but rather than solving a problem, the manager has unintentionally created one.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesFull-back

Arsenal looked quite well-stocked in this position before the season began, given the impressive versatility of Timber, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

However, Timber might not return until March, White's form has fluctuated wildly, Kiwior is a liability at left-back, as the Fulham defeat hammered home, Tomiyasu has had his injury issues and is now off to the Asian Cup, while Zinchenko's defensive deficiencies have been repeatedly exposed.

Consequently, many supporters have questioned the wisdom of the decision to allow Kieran Tierney to leave on loan to Real Sociedad, as some still consider him the best left-back on Arsenal's books.

Whether the Scot would have made a major difference to the title tilt, we'll never know, but what's clear is that unless Arsenal dip into the transfer market – or recall Tierney – they're going to have issues on either side of the defence until Timber returns to full fitness.

Getty ImagesCentre-back

White, Tomiyasu and Kiwior can all play at centre-back, but it's honestly come as no surprise to hear rumours of Arsenal trying to signing Matthijs de Ligt, given the Dutchman has struggled to lock down a starting spot under Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes obviously make for a solid pairing. Indeed, if the former had not missed the end of last season, Arsenal may well have held onto their lead at the top of the Premier League. As it was, the back four capitulated without Saliba, which only underlined Arsenal's fragility without the Frenchman. Another spell on the sidelines really would put paid to their title aspirations.

So, while Timber's return will ultimately give Arteta another excellent option to play alongside Saliba, they look worryingly short on quality at centre-back right now. In that sense, selling Gabriel would appear out of the question, but the Brazilian, who was heavily criticised by Ian Wright for his performance at Fulham, is prone to dropping clangers and if the incessant Saudi Arabian interest in his services materialised into a solid bid, the money made could be put towards a more reliable partner for Saliba.

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GettyCentral midfield

Rice was touted as the missing link for Arsenal, the kind of player that could propel the club to a first Premier League title since 2004. However, while the England international has made a big impact, he's not proven a game-changer because the make-up of Arteta's midfield is still not right.

Thomas Partey's injury issues obviously haven't helped, even if Arteta was using the Ghanaian as a right-back during the early stages of the season. One imagines that if Partey had stayed fit, he would have eventually been used in his preferred deep-lying, play-making role that would have offered greater protection to the back four, while at the same time allowing Rice serve as the link-man between the midfield and the attack. With that option unavailable, the latter has often been asked to do far too much from a defensive perspective, given he's often got two No.10s (Martin Odegaard and Havertz) for company in the engine room.

Of course, Partey is now poised to return to action, but doubts remain over his future as a mooted move to Saudi Arabia would allow Arsenal to at least partially fund a move for another defensive midfielder. Still, while talk of a move for Fulham's Joao Palhinha makes an awful lot of sense – the Portuguese showed Arteta exactly what he's missing in the middle of the park with a tremendous display at Craven Cottage on New Year's Eve – one wonders whether Arsenal would have sufficient money to make it happen, given it's believed that they'll have to sell before they can buy this winter.

A century from Stephen Murdoch, coupled with Hamish Bennett’s seven-wicket match haul, propelled Wellington to an innings-and-43-run win over Otago inside three days of the Plunket Shield game at Basin Reserve. Wellington’s win amounted to Otago’s second consecutive loss this year, having finished at the bottom of the table last season.Wellington’s offensive with the ball helped them snipe out 15 wickets on the second day, bowling the opposition out for 184. A formidable lead of 185 meant Wellington could enforce follow-on and have an early shot at bringing up their second victory in as many games. The Otago line-up’s first-innings struggle – in which six of their batsman got starts but none could notch up a half-century – aggravated further in the second as only two players – captain Rob Nicol and Jimmy Neesham – went past the 30-run mark. Having been reduced to 107 for 6 at stumps on day two, it was only a matter of time before the remaining four batsmen were undone for only 142 runs inside the 20.3 overs bowled on the third day.Leading the charge for the Wellington attack in both innings was right-arm pacer Bennett who bettered his first-innings three-for with figures of 4 for 30 in the second. Bennett, who took his Shield tally to 12 scalps from two games, found ample support in fellow seamers Ian McPeake and Logan van Beek, who finished with a five-wicket match haul of his own.Wellington’s dominance in the match was, however, established early via Murdoch who waltzed to his 13thfirst-class century after his side lost the toss. The No. 3 batsman countered the loss of the two openers which had Wellington tottering at 33 for 2 in the 11th over. Murdoch put on 113 runs for the third wicket with captain Michael Bracewell, who struck an 83-ball 43. After Bracewell’s dismissal, Murdoch added another 66 runs with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, before holing out to Jacob Duffy off Anaru Kitchen in the 66th over. Two fifty-plus partnerships – anchored by Jeetan Patel’s 64 – for the seventh and the eighth wickets subsequently took Wellington to 369, before being bowled by Neil Wagner, allowing him to complete his four-for. Kitchen and Michael Rae finished with three wickets each.