The players are pumped. Monday 21 October is circled on all their calendars. The preseason camps are nearly over. Day one of the 2019/20 New Zealand Domestic season, the newest edition of the Plunket Shield, is nearly here — and, there will be BLACKCAPS!
Only a few sleeps now until you can head back to the magnificent bleachers of the Basin Reserve, park up in the historic stand at Eden Park Outer Oval or settle into your favourite viewing spot at a springy Hagley Oval, with New Zealand one of the few places in the world where you can enjoy the absorbing battles of first-class cricket for free.
10.30am, crossing the white rope for the first time this season in whites as pure as snow (for a limited time only). That frisson of excitement as the umpire says play for the first time. All will go to plan — weather permitting.
Title threepeats are rare but the Stags have a chance this season. PHOTOSPORT
Defending champions the Central Stags begin this summer’s eight-round campaign (three rounds before Christmas before the white-ball season arrives) with an away game hosted by the Auckland Aces at Eden Park Outer Oval.
They follow up with another tough away assignment in round two against Northern Districts at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui.
While the Stags have tended to be consistent whether home or away — they went through the 2017/18 season unbeaten, and dropped just two matches (both away) en route to defending their title last season, with five wins — they’ll be wary of arch rivals ND who took one of those precious wins against them in the last match of last summer, and have run them hard in all four of their last four encounters.
ND will relish having their swag of BLACKCAPS in the early rounds. PHOTOSPORT
Their first round will meanwhile pit their new mentor Aldin Smith (formerly an assistant coach) head to head against their previous head coach Heinrich Malan who’s now coaching the Aces. Fascinating!
At stake for the Stags this season is a rare Plunket Shield threepeat — something Auckland Cricket Association alone has achieved in the past century of the Plunket Shield championship. However, with off-season surgery for Stags frontliners Adam Milne, Tom Bruce and Will Young; left-armer Ryan McCone in retirement, and pace back-ups Liam Dudding and Navin Patel both unavailable for the season, their early season squads are set to look quite different to the usual.
More prominant in white-ball, Corey Anderson suits up in blue for a preseason fixture. MBUTCHER
Pace bowler Kyle Jamieson (ex-Canterbury) and Corey Anderson (previously ND) notably bolster an already healthy-looking city of sails contracted squad that finished mid-table with ND in last season's Plunket Shield, both teams picking up three wins.
Coming off a good CPL showing in the Caribbean, 22-year-old top order batsman Glenn Phillips garners more attention for his white-ball game but it's worth nothing he was one of the Shield's most consistent batsmen last summer, netting 610 runs for the Aces from 10 knocks at 76.25, including a century and five half centuries.
Roll in the bevy of BLACKCAPS who will be available for their Domestic teams in the first round (with Test specialists likely to be available for 1-2 further rounds before the England Tests) and there are going to be some top notch line-ups to enjoy for free around the traps.
The Wellington Firebirds meanwhile open their Plunket Shield with three consecutive home games at the Basin — a red-ball feast of up to 12 free days’ cricket is Christmas arriving early for the many aficionados of the longer game.
Closing in on a big 900: evergreen 39-year-old Jeetan Patel. PHOTOSPORT
All eyes will be on Firebirds spinning icon Jeetan Patel this season, sitting on 892 first-class career wickets (333 for the Firebirds). After his return from another solid County season captaining Warwickshire, it puts him in sight of knocking over an uncommon milestone in the modern Kiwi game, however, Patel will miss the three pre-Christmas rounds of the Plunket Shield after taking up a short-term role as the spin-bowling consultant for the touring England side.
With Glenn Pocknall now coaching in all formats, the capital cricketers will host the Otago Volts, Canterbury and the Aces respectively in rounds one to three.
What a spot to prepare for our first shield game against @wgtnfirebirdsandblaze next week. No sight screen needed. pic.twitter.com/UTYdyDk62d
— Michael Rippon (@michaelrippon19) October 15, 2019
Like first-up opponents the Volts, the only way will be up for the Firebirds after a frustrating 2018/19 in which they won just once, despite Hamish Bennett finishing with more pace wickets, 32 strikes from only six games at just 17.87, than any other bowler in the country.
Outstanding individual displays (Devon Conway returned a season average of 82.37 from 12 innings) were offset by three losses from seven rounds and their final round last season, against Canterbury, did not proceed.
The Volts also sang the song just the once, and gripped the wooden spoon with six losses from eight rounds, having struggled again for traction on the table in the longest format.
Mark Craig has unfinished business for the Volts. MBUTCHER
With good pick-ups in the form of Nick Kelly (ex ND) and polished youngster Dean Foxcroft (a surprise move after a good debut season with the Stags), and (younger brother of Glenn) Dale Phillips, the Volts will have a fresh energy, and will also be looking forward to two erstwhile BLACKCAPS in Neil Broom and accomplished spinner Mark Craig coming back into the mix this season after a frustating run of injury.
Canterbury’s youngish squad were the big movers last season, working their way back from a disappointing 2017/18 to finish runners-up to the Stags with four outrights. They even had an outside chance of claiming the title, before the tragic turmoil of the Christchurch attack led to their final round being cancelled.
Having their classy BLACKCAPS back in their midst — the ilk of Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls, Matt Henry and Todd Astle — also puts their opponents on notice. The red and blacks will open their account against ND at Hagley before heading to the Basin for week two.
Andrew Hazeldine is one of Canterbury's new wave. PHOTOSPORT
After the pre-Christmas rounds, the first-class championship will resume on 22 February 2020 for the final five on the bounce. With all teams hungry to get a head start on the points table, don’t underestimate the significance of the supercharged early rounds — it could be brutal!
2019/20 SQUADS — contracted players
AUCKLAND ACES Finn Allen, Corey Anderson, Graeme Beghin, Jamie Brown, Craig Cachopa, Mark Chapman, Louis Delport, Danru Ferns, Ben Horne, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Lister, Matt McEwan, Robbie O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips, Sean Solia, Will Somerville BLACKCAPS: Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Jeet Raval
NORTHERN DISTRICTS James Baker, Peter Bocock, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Henry Cooper, Anton Devcich, Matthew Fisher, Daniel Flynn, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert, Josef Walker BLACKCAPS: Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson
CENTRAL STAGS Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Greg Hay, Christian Leopard, Adam Milne, Ajaz Patel, Willem Ludick, Seth Rance, Bevan Small, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler, George Worker BLACKCAPS: Ross Taylor, Will Young.
WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS Hamish Bennett, Jakob Bhula, Michael Bracewell, Fraser Colson, Devon Conway, Andrew Fletcher, Jamie Gibson, Lauchie Johns, Iain McPeake, Ollie Newton, Malcolm Nofal, Jeetan Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband BLACKCAPS: Tom Blundell, Jimmy Neesham
CANTERBURY Chad Bowes, Jack Boyle, Leo Carter, Blake Coburn, Andrew Ellis, Cameron Fletcher, Andrew Hazeldine, Jackson Latham, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Stephen Murdoch, Ed Nuttall, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley, Will Williams, Theo van Woerkom BLACKCAPS: Todd Astle, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls
OTAGO VOLTS Matt Bacon, Neil Broom, Max Chu, Mark Craig, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Dean Foxcroft, Cam Hawkins, Nick Kelly, Anaru Kitchen, Dale Phillips, Michael Rae, Mitch Renwick, Michael Rippon, Hamish Rutherford, Nathan Smith. No contracted BLACKCAPS.
