Only Bert Sutcliffe has surpassed Bruce’s individual score in New Zealand’s first-class cricket history.
Tom Bruce’s incredible innings puts him among the record-holders.
Tom Bruce has etched his name in New Zealand first-class cricket history by scoring 345 runs for Central Stags against Auckland in the Plunket Shield. This is the third-highest score ever made in New Zealand’s domestic first-class arena.
Bruce, who has represented New Zealand in 17 T20Is, demonstrated remarkable endurance and skill during his innings. He faced 401 deliveries, smashing 36 boundaries and six sixes.
In the annals of New Zealand cricket, only the legendary Bert Sutcliffe has recorded higher individual scores than Bruce. Sutcliffe’s scores of 355 and 385 for Otago remain the top two highest scores.
At the end of the day’s play, Bruce reflected on his achievement, saying, “I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, to be fair. It’s obviously very special, and I am incredibly proud. Looking back, especially after the game and later in my career, it will be a truly special moment to remember. I am very proud of this achievement.”
Resuming his innings from an overnight score of 212, Bruce reached his monumental triple century with a gentle nudge to the leg side on his 379th ball.
When Bruce surpassed 339 runs, he moved past Roger Blunt’s 1931-32 score for Otago. Earlier in his innings, he had also overtaken Dean Brownlie (334 in 2014-15) and Devon Conway (327 not out in 2019-2020). Other notable triple-century scorers in New Zealand domestic cricket include Michael Papps and Peter Fulton.
Bruce walked in to bat when his team was at a precarious 29 for 2, which soon became 75 for 3. He then forged significant partnerships, adding 292 runs with Dane Cleaver for the fourth wicket and 303 runs with Josh Clarkson for the fifth wicket – both of which are new records for Central Stags. His magnificent innings concluded when he was caught down the leg side while attempting a sweep shot off Louis Delport. The Auckland team immediately showed their respect, congratulating Bruce as he walked off the field.
This innings marked Bruce’s 11th first-class century. On the first day of his innings, he also surpassed 6000 first-class runs. He credited his recent good form in one-day cricket in the Ford Trophy for boosting his confidence after a poor run in red-ball cricket at the start of the season, where he had only managed 79 runs in four matches.
Bruce admitted, “I think I only scored about 50 runs combined in the initial matches, which was something I needed to work on. I really focus on my red-ball game and wanted to contribute for the team. So yes, I was a bit disappointed with my form in that format initially. However, in white-ball cricket, the runs were flowing well.”
He further explained, “I adopted a very positive mindset and aimed to be aggressive in the white-ball format. This approach allowed me to free myself up a bit and play with more freedom, which brings out my best. I definitely wanted to improve on my first four-day games as they weren’t great. So, it was really satisfying to spend a long time in the middle and achieve something I was aiming for.”
