The last Plunket Shield round of the year is underway this morning, and with it, the urgency to secure a good position at the midpoint of the eight-round New Zealand first-class championship.
The Central Stags are bowling first in the Wellington Firebirds in the 100th first-class match between the two sides in Palmerston North. The sides first met in Central's very first match, at the Cello Basin Reserve in December 1950. Wellington has won 34 and lost 22 of the matches between the two sides, with a balance of 43 drawn results and two abandonments, including a Plunket Shield fixture abandoned in November 2016 due to a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.
At Hagley Oval, Canterbury is out to extend its slender advantage at the top of the table against defending champion the Auckland Aces, who have won the toss and will bat first. The two teams are playing each other for the 150th occasion since Auckland's entry into New Zealand first-class cricket on 18 November 1873 which was also at Hagley Park (Auckland won by 7 runs).
That match was Canterbury's 11th first-class fixture, and they head in today with a record of 48 wins, 54 losses, 47 draws and one abandonment in this great traditional rivalry.
In Dunedin, the Otago Volts have won the toss and will bat first in their first home match of the summer,against Northern Districts. ND is the only team yet to get a win heading into today's Round Four, despite impressive individual performances including Jeet Raval, Bharat Popli and captain Joe Carter all having posted early season centuries.
Leading the batting statistics heading into this round is Central Stags batsman Tom Bruce who how averages an astounding 112.00 for the 2022 calendar year.
Bruce has 365 runs (including one century and three half centuries from five innings) at 73.00 for the current 2022/23 season, just ahead of Canterbury BLACKCAP Tom Latham with 361 at 120.33 after his two big centuries in the first three rounds.
Leading the bowling charts is Canterbury BLACKCAP Matt Henry with 23 at a class 11.69 average. Henry is followed by Otago's Jacob Duffy (18 at 19.88), Central Stags allrounder Doug Bracewell (15 at a lean 13.33) and Wellington Firebirds Iain McPeake (15 at 21.26).
ROUND FOUR, from 10.30am NZT
• Central Stags v Wellington Firebirds
Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North
Toss: Central Stags who elected to bowl
• Otago Volts v Northern Districts
University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
Toss: Otago Volts who elected to bat
• Canterbury v Auckland Aces
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Toss: Auckland Aces who elected to bat
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