The pressure is still hot on defending champions Canterbury who need to win big today to stay alive in the 2018 Ford Trophy.
Currently in last place, with two rounds to go Canterbury finds itself eight points adrift of third-placed Northern Districts — with a maximum of 10 points remaining on offer in the last two games before Semis.
The task is not impossible, however, in a season that has seen intense competition in both white-ball formats on the men's national domestic scene.
The immediate challenge before Andrew Ellis and his men is going up against the Auckland Aces today at Hagley Oval — the Aces coming off two strong wins and requiring just one more point to ensure that they join the Central Stags as one of the four Semi-Final qualifiers.
Other crunch matches will be fought out today at the Basin Reserve where the front-running Stags will be looking for their sixth consecutive win while the reshuffled Firebirds are eager to move up the table from their tenuous hold on fourth; and Dunedin's University of Otago Oval where the Volts will be keen to get back that winning feeling against well performed Northern Districts after a tough trot.
Volts captain Rob Nicol needs a win in Dunedin today. PHOTOSPORT
ND will be without allrounder Anton Devcich who departs for a stint with the Galaxy Gladiators Lantau in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz, but that will be little consolation for the fifth-place Volts as BLACKCAP Ish Sodhi comes back into the ND squad. BLACKCAPS Anaru Kitchen (Volts), Tom Blundell (Firebirds), Seth Rance (Stags) and Tom Bruce (Stags) are all also back in the their domestic colours today for an exciting round of one-day action.
ROUND SEVEN
11am Wednesday 7 February 2018
Wellington Firebirds v Central Stags
Basin Reserve, Wellington
Wellington Firebirds:
Michael Bracewell (c), Tom Blundell, Fraser Colson, Devon Conway, Iain McPeake, Stephen Murdoch, Ollie Newton, Malcom Nofal, Alex Ridley, Logan van Beek, Luke Woodcock, Peter Younghusband
Central Stags:
Will Young (c), Ben Smith, George Worker, Jesse Ryder, Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver (w), Josh Clarkson, Adam Milne, Bevan Small, Seth Rance, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner
Canterbury v Auckland Aces
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Canterbury (unchanged):
Andrew Ellis (c), Michael Pollard, Chad Bowes, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Cameron Fletcher, Todd Astle, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Johnston, Matt Henry, Ed Nuttall
Auckland Aces (unchanged):
Craig Cachopa (c), Michael Barry, Graeme Beghin, Jamie Brown, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Donovan Grobbelaar, Mitch McClenaghan, Tarun Nethula, Glenn Phillips, Jeet Raval, Sean Solia
Otago Volts v Northern Districts
University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
Otago Volts (13 named):
Rob Nicol (c), Hamish Rutherford, Shawn Hicks, Neil Broom, Anaru Kitchen, Derek de Boorder, Jimmy Neesham, Michael Rippon, Mark Craig, Neil Wagner, Matt Bacon, Michael Rae, Jack Hunter
Northern Districts (13 named):
Dean Brownlie (c), Brent Arnel, Daniel Flynn, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Nick Kelly, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Joe (Josef) Walker, BJ Watling
