Cyclone Gabrielle has thrown a curve ball at the last round of the 2022/23 Ford Trophy, scheduled for this Tuesday, 14 February.
All six teams were due to be in action tomorrow, with only top qualifier the Central Stags having been assured of a spot in this year's Finals.
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The Stags' three-wicket win against Northern Districts in Napier last week booked them a direct ticket to Sunday's Grand Final in Queenstown (live on Spark Sport), leaving two spots in Friday's 2v3 Elimination Final (also to be played at Queenstown's John Davies Oval, with a free livestream on NZC channels) up for grabs on a tight table.
Defending champions the Auckland Aces and the Wellington Firebirds were scheduled to play a last-ditch, bottom-of-the-table clash tomorrow in Auckland but, due to the ongoing State of Emergency in Auckland as the cyclone washes through the city, the match has been cancelled, and the points shared.
That formally concludes the white-ball seasons of both the Wellington Firebirds and Auckland Aces for 2022/23.
The forecast is mercifully fine at the opposite end of the country where the Otago Volts, currently in fourth spot, need a big win at home in Dunedin against Northern Districts to squeak into the playoffs.
A loss or tie will end their season and the Volts will be hungry to make up for the disappointment of losing their Dream11 Super Smash Elimination Final at the same University of Otago Oval last week.
Gabrielle has meanwhile disrupted the plans of both Canterbury and hosts the Central Stags who are scheduled to meet at Napier's McLean Park tomorrow.
With wild weather looking set to affect this fixture, the Stags have already had to replace Ajaz Patel and Brett Randell in their squad due to cancelled flights from storm-hit Auckland.
Canterbury meanwhile travelled up from Christchurch this morning, only to be diverted to Palmerston North.
Should the match in Napier be rained off tomorrow, two points will be enough to cement Canterbury's berth in the playoff - unless the Volts win big.
Then, should those two South Island teams finish on equal points, equal number of wins and equal number of bonus points, it will come down to net run rate for the last spot in Queenstown.
A new champion is guaranteed this summer in The Ford Trophy. Stay tuned tomorrow to find out which teams will win that chance.
