The waiting is over. The whites are pressed and ready, boxes of shiny new red Kookaburras have been delivered to the grounds and, for the country’s best cricketers, summer is here at last.
The first-class season of 2016/17 is all set to begin this Labour Weekend as New Zealand Cricket’s oldest trophy — the Plunket Shield — goes back on the line from 10.30am on Saturday.
2016/17 Plunket Shield Calendar
Iconic international cricket grounds Hagley Park (Christchurch), Saxton Oval (Nelson) and relative newcomer Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui form the battle grounds for the first, fierce four-day round of the new season.
Entry to watch the intense competition remains free at all grounds — and, with just 10 rounds in total, all sides are keenly aware of the value of a head start on the points table.
The first five rounds play out before Christmas; white-ball cricket then occupies the holiday period until the “back half” or business end of the Plunket Shield resumes in late February and continues until the last day of the season in April 2017.
The Auckland Aces celebrate last season's triumph. Image:Photosport
A test of stamina and resilience as much as readiness and momentum, last April the coveted title went down to the wire. Defending champion the Auckland Aces are out to back up a summer in which the city slickers ultimately claimed two of the three major trophies for men’s domestic cricket — no side more heartbroken by that development than their traditional rivals Canterbury, who had been poised for a rare Plunket Shield three-peat.
Home Away From Home
The Aces’ campaign will begin in unusual circumstances. The Mount Maunganui match does not feature the home Northern Districts team. Instead, the Aucklanders will be hosted there by the Wellington Firebirds — a long way from the latter’s customary Basin Reserve headquarters. The tender spring grass growth in the capital isn’t quite ready for early season cricket, and with Auckland’s Eden Park complex unavailable due to the All Blacks’ impending Bledisloe Cup date, Bay Oval with its state-of-the-art surface was agreed upon as a substitute venue. It traditionally scrubs up well this early in the season — and is still somewhat familiar territory for the Firebirds, having been a setting for their preseason practice games in recent years.
New Captains
Canterbury is one of two sides with a new man calling the shots this season, 37-year-old Peter Fulton handing over the armband for the Plunket Shield campaign to his (already seasoned) successor Andrew Ellis.
Andrew Ellis always delivers for Canterbury. Image:Photosport
Lifelong Cantabrian Fulton scored his 10,000th first-class run last season and achieved a Canterbury record for caps as captain. He’s also one of a number of top domestic players illustrating that the game still holds genuine appeal for older players, whose hardened experience and ability to mentor young players is particularly valued in the demanding cauldron of the four-day game.
Alongside the likes of Wellington’s evergreen Michael Papps (also 37), it’s evidence that the sport has recovered from a blip in the late 1990s and early 2000s when it was noticeable that too many talents were hanging up their cap before their 30th birthday. Professional contracts helped reverse that brain drain. Fulton remains a wise presence in the Canterbury squad, but the Firebirds boast the deepest reservoir of knowledge: Papps is a veteran of 169 first-class matches, Luke Woodcock 120, Jeetan Patel has 228 first-class caps and Hamish Marshall, 255.
Michael Papps, Rob Nicol and Umpire Barry Frost are veterans of over 100 first-class matches each. Image:Photosport
Canterbury’s Ellis expands his leadership portfolio to all three formats after having led the side to the one-day 2016 Ford Trophy grand final last summer, albeit falling at the last hurdle. At 34, the former BLACKCAP is an allrounder of influence — he was New Zealand Cricket’s domestic men’s player of the year two seasons ago and, while the freakishly prodigious Northern Districts bastman Bharat Popli claimed that individual trophy last season, Ellis’s consistency means his name was surely next on the list of finalists.
Bharat Popli on the drive. Image:Photosport
Further south, the Otago Volts unanimously elected former Northern Districts captain Brad Wilson as their 2016/17 skipper, the 31-year-old opener picking up the duties full-time from Hamish Rutherford, for whom he filled in when needed last season. Hard-hitting Rutherford remains integral to the side’s top order, while Wilson will combine with new coach Rob Walter, who has come to New Zealand from South Africa’s Titans.
After missing much of the 2015/16 season with injury, inspirational Rob Nicol is back in the captain’s seat for the Aces, although now without his able deputy Michael Bates who retired at the end of last summer. Daniel Flynn, Michael Papps and Will Young return to lead Northern Districts, Wellington Firebirds and Central Stags respectively.
Central Districts captain Will Young under close attention from Canterbury. Image:Photosport
Round ONE, Saturday 22 October to Tuesday 25 October 2016
- All four-day matches begin at 10.30am
- All matches are FREE ENTRY
- All matches are live-scored at www.blackcaps.co.nz
- Video scorecards feature LIVE video highlights
- Social hashtag: #PlunketShield
Wellington Firebirds v Auckland Aces at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Auckland Aces
Rob Nicol (c), Cody Andrews, Brad Cachopa (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Donovan Grobbelaar, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Shawn Hicks, Dane Hutchinson, Tarun Nethula, Robert O’Donnell, Jeet Raval. Coach: Mark O’Donnell
Mark Chapman was unavailable for selection. If selected in the playing XI, Andrews (ex-Northern Districts) and Dane Hutchinson (ex-Wellington Firebirds) will make their Auckland debut.
Wellington Firebirds
Michael Papps (c), Brent Arnel, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Matt McEwan, Iain McPeake, Hamish Marshall, Stephen Murdoch, Jeetan Patel, Michael Pollard, Matt Taylor, Luke Woodcock. Coach: Bruce Edgar
If selected in the playing XI, Hamish Bennett (ex-Canterbury) and Hamish Marshall (ex-Northern Districts) will be on Wellington Firebirds debut
Central Stags v Otago Volts at Saxton Oval, Nelson
Central Stags
Will Young (c), Tom Bruce, Dylan Cleaver (wk), Greg Hay, Ryan McCone, Andrew Mathieson, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Mitch Renwick, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler. Coach: Heinrich Malan
George Worker (injured elbow), Adam Milne (rehabilitating from elbow surgery), Navin Patel (university exams) and Bevan Small were unavailable for selection — Small will miss the 2016/17 season following a shoulder reconstruction this week. If selected in the playing XI, Ryan McCone (ex-Canterbury) will make his Central Stags debut.
Seth Rance is always a threat for the Central Stags. Image:Photosport
Otago Volts
Brad Wilson (c), Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder (wk), Jacob Duffy, Ryan Duffy, Josh Finnie, Rhys Phillips, Michael Rae, Hamish Rutherford, Nathan Smith, Christi Viljoen, Sam Wells. Coach: Rob Walter
Michael Bracewell (broken finger), Neil Wagner (rested) and Anaru Kitchen (paternity leave) were unavailable for selection.
Michael Bracewell will be missing in the first round of the season. Image:Photosport
Canterbury v Northern Districts at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Canterbury
Andrew Ellis (c), Todd Astle, Chad Bowes, Michael Davidson, Cam Fletcher (wk), Peter Fulton, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Johnston, Ken McClure, Henry Nicholls, Ed Nuttall, Henry Shipley. Coach: Gary Stead
If selected in the playing XI, this match will be Todd Astle’s 100th first-class appearance (92nd first-class game for Canterbury, the balance played for New Zealand and New Zealand A). Logan van Beek continues his graduated return from surgery in club cricket.
Northern Districts
Daniel Flynn (c), James Baker, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Zak Gibson, Tony Goodin, Nick Kelly, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Tim Seifert (wk), Josef Walker. Coach: James Pamment
DID YOU KNOW…
The Plunket Shield is not only New Zealand Cricket’s oldest trophy, but one of its most beautiful. The ornate mounted silver shield was completed in early 1907 and was toured through the country with Lord Plunket — the 12th Governor of New Zealand — before being taken to the New Zealand Cricket Council for a decision as to which team deserved the honour of being deemed the inaugural holder. Much to Auckland’s dismay, Canterbury was chosen. However, Auckland would win the Shield for 1907/08, 1908/09 and 1909/10 seasons before Canterbury managed to get it back off them.
The Plunket family crest and motto, Maori tiki figures and intricate reliefs of a cricketer, a set of stumps and bails, a beautifully detailed cabbage tree and a tree fern all decorate the silver facade that was originally mounted on a cedar backing, along with 22 mini-shields set to be engraved with future winners. By the 1930s, a larger timber backing had been commissioned — and today’s shield features further expansions crafted in the 1970s.
In its early years, the competition was decided by a series of challenge matches between the five leading provincial sides at that time: Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago and — briefly — Hawke’s Bay. In 1921/22, the competition moved to a round-robin format.
Today the country’s six Major Association sides — Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, Central Districts (which joined the first-class ranks in 1950/51) and Northern Districts (1956/57) are the modern contestants for the coveted silverware.
Which is leading the first-class title hunt through the ages?
Auckland — 28
Canterbury — 24
Wellington — 22
Otago — 13
Central Districts — 9
Northern Districts — 8
Who’s your pick for 2016/17?
