The Devon Hotel Central Stags defended the Ford Trophy. The Mondiale Auckland Aces won Georgie Pie Super Smash. Now it’s time to find out who will be New Zealand’s first-class champions of the 2015/16 season.
From this Friday, leading cricketers will step out in their whites in Napier, Christchurch and Queenstown in round four of the 2015/16 Plunket Shield, brought to you by Budget Rental, with the Aces holding a slim competition lead over the Wellington Firebirds and Canterbury — making the head-to-head clash between the Aucklanders and Cantabrians at Hagley Oval a key watch.
The scenic Queenstown Events Centre is a favourite of many players. Photosport
While pace bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Matt Quinn remain sidelined with injury, the Aces have two new faces in Auckland A allrounder Sean Solia and Australian Nathan McAndrew, who comes to the squad from Sydney Thunder.
In Napier, BLACKCAPS Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi boost the SKYCITY Northern Knights for their clash with the Stags, both teams presently on 19 points and keen to make headway on the table.
Coming off their Ford Trophy title, the Stags are without allrounder Ben Wheeler, who is resting a back niggle, and pace man Andrew Mathieson, who injured his back earlier this season.
A strong SBS Bank Otago Volts side will be looking for their first outright of the season in Queenstown, against a reorganised Firebirds unit that will not have the services of spinner Jeetan Patel (competing overseas in the Masters Champions League), Michael Pollard nor Matt McEwan (both injured). Former New Zealand Under-19s batsman Fraser Colson will be in line to play his third first-class match, while fast bowler Matt Bacon and Jamie Gibson, both 22, will make their first-class debut, if selected in the starting XI.
Former England international and County regular Scott Borthwick, who has 104 first-class caps, will also make his Plunket Shield debut for the Firebirds if selected, having also represented the side in Georgie Pie Super Smash earlier this season.
Canterbury is looking for a Plunket Shield three-peat
The round represents the first four-day cricket action since the pre-Christmas phase of the competition but, from here on in, it’s seven rounds on the trot for first class aficionados, concluding in the first week of April.
One of New Zealand’s oldest sporting competitions, the winner is determined by the points table at the end of the 10 rounds, with $40,000 in prizemoney at stake. Entry to all Plunket Shield fixtures is free.
Devon Hotel Central Stags v SKYCITY Northern Knights
McLean Park, Napier, 10.30am #PlunketShield
Livescores here
Devon Hotel Central Stags squad: Will Young (captain), Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver (w), Greg Hay, Ajaz Patel, Navin Patel, Seth Rance, Dean Robinson, Bevan Small, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, George Worker
SKYCITY Northern Knights squad: Daniel Flynn (captain), James Baker, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Anton Devcich, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Tim Seifert (w), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Canterbury v Mondiale Auckland Aces
Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 10.30am #PlunketShield
Livescores here
Canterbury squad: Peter Fulton (captain), Todd Astle, Leo Carter, Andrew Ellis, Cameron Fletcher (w), Kyle Jamieson, Tim Johnston, Tom Latham, Cole McConchie, Ed Nuttall, Logan van Beek, Will Williams
Mondiale Auckland Aces squad: Rob Nicol (captain), Michael Bates, Brad Cachopa, Colin de Grandhomme, Donovan Grobbelaar, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Shawn Hicks, Nathan McAndrew, Tarun Nethula, Robbie O'Donnell, Jeet Raval, Sean Solia
SBS Bank Otago Volts v Wellington Firebirds
Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown 10.30am #PlunketShield
Livescores here
SBS Bank Otago Volts squad: Hamish Rutherford (captain), Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder, (w), Mark Craig, Jacob Duffy, Jack Hunter, James Neesham, Craig Smith, Neil Wagner, Sam Wells, Brad Wilson
Wellington Firebirds squad:
Michael Papps (captain), Brent Arnel, Matt Bacon, Tom Blundell (w), Scott Borthwick, Fraser Colson, Alecz Day, Jamie Gibson, Dane Hutchinson, Stephen Murdoch, Anurag Verma, Luke Woodcock
Full schedule here
