**Chad Bowes Breaks Record for Fastest List A Double-Century in Ford Trophy Victory**
Chad Bowes made history on Wednesday, smashing the fastest-ever List A double-century during Canterbury’s Ford Trophy match against Otago at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Bowes reached his double-ton in just 103 balls, surpassing the previous record of 114 balls held by Australia’s Travis Head and India’s N Jagadeesan.
Bowes’ blistering knock of 205 from 110 deliveries featured 27 fours and seven sixes, propelling Canterbury to a commanding total of 343 for 9. His milestone performance came in his 100th List A match, making the occasion even more special. Reflecting on his innings, Bowes said, “It might sink in over the next day or two, but obviously a great day here at Hagley and a good occasion to do something special.”
Despite Canterbury losing opener Henry Nicholls for a five-ball duck early in the innings, Bowes kept the momentum going. He reached his half-century in just 26 balls and completed his century in 53 deliveries. Maintaining his aggressive approach, he added another 100 runs in 50 balls before being dismissed leg-before by Matthew Bacon in the 39th over. This innings surpassed his previous List A best of 126.
Bowes now holds the record ahead of Head and Jagadeesan, who both took 114 deliveries to score their double-centuries — Head for South Australia in the 2021-22 Marsh Cup and Jagadeesan during his 277-run knock for Tamil Nadu in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Apart from Bowes, Canterbury’s batting struggled to gain momentum, with only two other batters in the top seven reaching double figures. Captain Cole McConchie managed 27 off 40 balls, while Zakary Foulkes provided a crucial lower-order contribution with 49 from 46 balls, helping Canterbury finish at 343 for 9.
In response, Otago collapsed to 103 all out in just 24.5 overs, handing Canterbury a massive 240-run victory. Bowes’ record-breaking innings and Canterbury’s dominant win will be remembered as one of the standout moments in this Ford Trophy season.
32 years old Chad Bowes played 6 ODI for New Zealand and made only 99 runs in six innings.
