Get the picnic basket ready because The Ford Trophy is coming to town!
New Zealand’s national men’s one-day cricket competition kicks off this Sunday with great value entertainment as always and two matches under lights at Seddon Park introduced this season, the first day/night domestic one-dayers in New Zealand since 2009.
From Queenstown to Nelson and Auckland, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wellington, Christchurch, Lincoln and Dunedin in between, it’s a great way to spend time chilling with mates and family.
At many venues it will even be FREE admission to go see hard-fought, quality one-day cricket played at the country’s most beautiful grounds!
Defending champions the Wellington Firebirds open their season away to the Auckland Aces at Eden Park Outer Oval from 11am, with free entry to this one and gates opening at toss time from 10.30am.
The return of BLACKCAPS openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro headline a strong ACES squad while left-arm orthodox spinner Louis Delport is selected in the hosts' white-ball squad for the first time, after several strong seasons for East Coast Bays.
For the Firebirds, star offspinner Jeetan Patel is finally back after a gig as England's spin bowling advisor on their present tour of NZ, excited as ever at 39 to be pulling on the black and gold kit.
Michael Bracewell will captain the squad in the absence of regular white-ball captain Hamish Bennett who is nursing an injury picked up during the Plunket Shield.
Coach Glenn Pocknall said his side is approaching the opening round of one-day fixtures with a fresh vision.
“We’re not talking about this campaign as being a title defence or anything like that,” he said.
“We see this as a fresh opportunity to win another trophy and we’re approaching the campaign without putting any focus on what happened last year. Winning the competition last year was a great experience for those players to draw upon, but this year’s competition is a new challenge and we’re just focusing on trying to win each game as it comes."
The Palmerston North clash between the Central Stags and Canterbury will also kick off at 11am, with gates open at Fitzherbert Park from 10am.
The Stags selectors have been busy bees lately with a raft of early season injuries and preseason surgeries. Already the Stags have introduced five uncapped players to their Plunket Shield squad this summer, with three making their first-class debuts.
Now four uncapped Stags - spinner Jayden Lennox, Brad Schmulian, Ryan Watson and left-arm paceman Ray Toole - have been named in their opening round Ford Trophy twelve, meaning at least three men are guaranteed to make their List A debut in Palmerston North this Sunday, together with coach Aldin Smith overseeing his first Ford Trophy match.
The Stags beat Canterbury in a last-over thriller at this ground two years ago but it's two very different sides that will clash this time around.
Veteran Andrew Ellis returns to the side and his experience will be key with both bat and ball whilst quick Ed Nuttall, who missed last year’s Ford Trophy with injury, is back and firing with the new pill.
Canterbury will be on the road for the first two rounds before coming back to Christchurch for three games in five days at Hagley Oval (while the other teams congregate in Lincoln for the centralised rounds); meanwhile southern neighbours the Otago Volts start their Ford Trophy roadie in Hamilton where the spotlights will literally be on the chase in the first of the season's two day-night matches.
The Volts warmed southern hearts with their gallop to a home Grand Final last summer, and will be out to go one better this season.
The Otago Volts will be out to go one step further in the Ford Trophy this summer as they get their one-day campaign underway against Northern Districts at Seddon Park tomorrow.
Senior statesmen Mark Craig and Neil Broom remain out due to injury while young wicketkeeper Max Chu is in line for a Ford Trophy debut to add to his first three Plunket Shield caps.
Sans stalwart Daniel Flynn, hosts Northern Districts will meanwhile have a new captain in Joe Carter.
Uncapped Katene Clarke has joined the squad and bowling allrounder Anurag Verma will be back playing at one of his favourite grounds, if selected in the XI, when the free admission day-night match gets underway at 2pm.
ROUND ONE
11am SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2019
Auckland Aces v Wellington Firebirds
Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
ADMISSION: free
Central Stags v Canterbury
Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North
Adults $15, Juniors $5, Family pass $30
2PM SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2019
Northern Districts v Otago Volts
Seddon Park, Hamilton
ADMISSION: free
The Ford Trophy: recent champions
2018/19 Wellington Firebirds (defeated Otago Volts at University of Otago Oval)
2017/18 Auckland Aces (defeated Central Stags at Pukekura Park)
2016/17 Canterbury (defeated Wellington Firebirds at Rangiora)
2015/16 Central Stags (defeated Canterbury at Pukekura Park)
2014/15 Central Stags (defeated Auckland Aces at Colin Maiden Park)
2013/14 Wellington Firebirds (defeated Northern Districts at Bay Oval)
2012/13 Auckland Aces (defeated Canterbury at Eden Park Outer Oval)
2011/12 Central Stags (defeated Auckland Aces at Pukekura Park)
2010/11 Auckland Aces (defeated Canterbury at Queen Elizabeth II Park, Christchurch)
2009/10 Northern Districts (defeated Auckland Aces at Colin Maiden Park)
2008/09 Northern Districts (defeated Otago Volts at Seddon Park)
