The Captain's Blog - 2nd Edition

Each week we go behind the scenes to find out what the captains think about up coming games, their team performance in the latest games and stand out players.

The Captains’ Blog will be updated regularly throughout the season so make sure you log on regularly to get all the latest updates and news from inside the changing rooms and out on the pitch.

Gareth Hopkins

Captain - Auckland Aces

Overall we are pretty happy with how the game went against Central Districts last week. The first innings was a tough encounter however I think it puts us in good stead in future. Even though we lost the first innings I feel particularly the young guys showed some good skills.

With the bat Andrew de Boorder scored 125 not out in the first innings and he’s only recently become part of the Aces team. With the ball Daryl Tuffey is as excellent as ever, leading the seam bowlers and Michael Bates did well too.

This week we face Wellington at the Basin Reserve. We will be missing the likes of Daryl Tuffey, Tim McIntosh, wicket keeper Reece Young and spin bowler Tarun Nethula. Saying that Martin Guptill and Scott Styris will be back in the side.

Even though we are missing a few of our big names, it gives some other players the opportunity to come through. I don’t see it as a loss, I look at the potential gain and how we can benefit. It’s a chance for the guys to put their hand up and say “you can count on me”.

Side note – Congratulations to Gareth and his partner who welcomed beautiful baby George into the world on Sunday.

Kruger van Wyk

Captain -Canterbury Wizards

Our first game against Wellington went well. Although it wasn’t an extremely high scoring game it was still a good game. We are still getting used to playing on first class grade pitch and it was a good experience for the boys.

Players that stood out for me would have to be Leighton Burtt and Chris Martin. Leighton got a five wicket bag in the second innings, while Chris Martin got seven wickets for the match.

It wasn’t a high scoring game and the batsmen are getting quite hungry to get big scores under their belts, so hopefully they can do that against Otago this week.

We are out at Rangiora this week against the Otago boys which will be a great game. We’ve always enjoyed playing out at Rangiora and the facilities are really good.

For the South Island derby we have Shane Bond back, while Otago has some of their BLACKCAPS, and they will be keen to do well after coming off a loss last week to the Knights. I look forward to the challenge.

Jamie How

Captain - Central Stags

First up we played reigning champions Auckland. We knew it would be a very tough game and we were please to come away with two points.

Auckland had a very balanced team with the bat and ball. The likes of Ravi Bopara add depth to the opposition team. It was tough facing Auckland, however we got out of the game what we could and it is a good start to the season for us.

The pitch was batting friendly and both teams did well. For us Mathew Sinclair was instrumental in the team's good result. He scored 100 and made a huge impact of the game for us. In the bowling attack Ewen Thompson and Jeremy Kuru, who was playing in his first game for the Stags, did well.

Next up we take on Northern Districts. For us we would like to continue doing well into the second round. The pitch is a lot different to the one we played on last week, so we will be concentrating on batting and bowling to the best of our abilities.

Joseph Yovich

Captain - Northern Knights

For this week’s Northern Knights Captain’s Blog Joseph Yovich is filling the gap left by James Marshall who is away.

It was a good feeling for the team and management winning the first game as it was important that we got off to a good start with it being the first round of the Plunket Shield Competition. We have prepared well with our lead up into the match and during the winter months working harder then we ever have in the past. Winning the toss and putting Otago into bat was one thing but with that you still have to put the ball in the right areas using whatever advantage there is in the wicket early.

With the ball, Brent Arnel did exceptionally well picking up six wickets and consistently putting the ball in the right area posing questions for the Otago batsman, he was ably supported by all the other Knights seamers throughout the innings.

A solid 50 by Michael Parlane at the top of the order went a long way to setting the Knights up for first innings points. Joey Yovich (128*) combined with the middle and lower to put together good partnerships with fifties posted by Graeme Aldridge and Bradley Scott which saw us post a healthy first innings total.

Once again a mix of good consistent bowling, smart fields and some good all round fielding allowed us to pick up the desired wickets we needed in the second innings leaving us 13 runs to knock off and take outright points on day three. These were scored without the loss of a wicket and in the 7th over. The guitars were out by 4:30pm, and we celebrated a great win together.

Next up we take on Central Districts at Cobhalm Oval in Whangarei. They have just come off scoring points against Auckland in their first match and have a well balanced and no doubt confident side. We have a few changes to our squad for this one, however we have prepared well and the lads are looking forward to finding a way in getting the result we want. It’s always nice to be up here in Whangarei. Its a lovely ground we always look forward to playing up here and performing at home.

Craig Cumming

Captain - Otago Volts

We started the season off against Northern Districts and unfortunately we were not successful in winning this game. It was a disappointing result being beaten by 10 wickets. Northern got the first look at the pitch and used it to their advantage with the ball, then followed it up with a very good batting display. We didn’t bat as well as we could in the first innings but we showed a improved performance in the second innings We know that we need to do a lot of improving but we are confident we can do this in our next game against Canterbury.

Stand out performer from the last game would have to be the young spin bowler Nick Beard. He got three wickets for about 40 and he did very well. This week we face Canterbury in Rangiora. It’s going to be a tough game as Canterbury has a lot of depth with the ball and bat. However we have BLACKCAPS Neil Broom and Brendon McCullum returning to play.

Brendon will also be captaining the side which is exciting for him and the team. He gives a lot confidence to the team when he is playing and we are delighted to have him back in the whites for the first time for Otago in seven years.

Matthew Bell

Captain - Wellington Firebirds

We started our season at home at the Basin Reserve against Canterbury. Our first game was a bit rough around the edges however as it went on we got better and better.

We did have a reasonable start and at one stage we were 117/1 however late on day one we had a concentration laps which gave the momentum away and gave the advantage to Canterbury. From then on it was a really tight contest and it wasn’t until the last day that we were able to apply some pressure of our own. Unfortunately we couldn’t bring it home on day four. But as I said, we improved as the match went on.

There were two stand out performers in the side. With the ball Iain O’Brien was just outstanding, while Wellington debutant Cameron Merchant scored 99 in the second innings with the bat.

This week we face Auckland in the second round of the Plunket Shield. I think it’s going to be a very interesting game as both teams are missing key players who are away playing for New Zealand A.

We will be missing our all rounders Grant Elliott and James Franklin as well as bowler Iain O’Brien. However I see this as another good test for us. Auckland are reigning champs so we have to play well to put them under pressure and put our first points on the board.