It's now just two days to go until the start of the 2024/25 New Zealand summer of Domestic cricket, opening this Sunday in New Plymouth, Whangārei and Wellington's Cello Basin Reserve - at 10.30am.
Deep within the home bases of the six Major Associations, coaches will have been poring over short-range weather forecasts, and managers inking in the names on the flight bookings.
The first squads of the summer will have been selected, they will be released by noon on Saturday. Final trainings are underway in the nets, and some 72 outstanding male cricketers are champing at the bit to get started.
Every match will not only be free admission this Sunday, but live-streamed on NZC YouTube and the NZC live-scoring system at your disposal on our website or NZC app.
The Auckland Aces and Canterbury met in both men's white-ball Finals last summer | PHOTOSPORT
Defending champion Canterbury gets underway away from home this season, heading north to the capital to play the Wellington Firebirds.
Canterbury has won the men's one-day title more than any other team: 16 seasons since it started in 1971/72, to be precise. A good chunk of that was due to its dominant, all-star team of the 1990s.
But by 2017, Canterbury had gone a full decade without the trophy before it broke the title-drought. So, to have appeared in a few Grand Finals since, lifting the silverware in 2021 and again last summer, has been special to the team, says captain Cole McConchie.
"The Ford Trophy means a lot to us," he says.
"It's pretty easy for us to look up on the wall and see the blockbuster Canterbury sides of the past [think names like Astle, Harris, Fleming, McMillan, Cairns, Priest, Germon] and want to try to replicate that, to further strengthen our history around that trophy."
FORD TROPHY TITLE WINS
16 - Canterbury
13 - Auckland Aces
8 - Wellington Firebirds
7 - Central Stags, Northern Districts
2 - Otago Volts
Although the one-day competition is preceding the first-class Plunket Shield for the first time in a long time, McConchie says team preparation has largely been the normal process.
"It's been a good winter of work. The team has had a great last few weeks of prep, after getting the boys all back together.
"That's been special to have everyone back in the same room, after quite a busy off-season - with a lot of guys overseas and away, a lot of New Zealanders playing County cricket this year, both from Canterbury and from the other teams.
"We've got a couple of new faces in the squad which is always exciting, but we're mostly unchanged, mostly business as normal, and just excited to get stuck in again now with a good team and feel around this group."
McConchie is now one of Canterbury’s 13 all-time most-capped players in this format, with 76 appearances - he needs seven more caps to haul in Lee Germon, which he could achieve this summer. A lot of those blockbuster names sit above him.
His team of 2024/25 dialled up their preparation with a couple of high-scoring warm-up games at Hagley Oval, on a belter of a pitch - not bad for early October in Christchurch.
"It was good to see the batters already playing plenty of shots, and the bowlers trying to find ways and problem-solve, at this stage of the season when we'd often have been on a green seamer.
"We're now looking to start well in this first block of five Ford Trophy rounds, to hopefully take some momentum from there into the rest of the season."
New Captain at Central
One of Canterbury's biggest rivals over recent seasons will meanwhile be getting underway under a new leader at Pukekura Park.
Lennox in the ring | PHOTOSPORT
Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox is poised to become the third captain in as many years for the Central Stags' Ford Trophy campaign, succeeding Dane Cleaver and, before Cleaver, Tom Bruce.
But the changes have been a relatively planned, pragmatic affair, with the Stags seeking to develop more leaders within their group.
"It's been a changing of the guard a little bit at CD," explains Lennox.
"We've got quite a few younger faces now in our contracted group, and while there a few of the really seasoned senior players still around like Tom and Dane and Ticks [Blair Tickner], it's a good opportunity for me to extract as much knowledge as I can from those senior players."
Lennox has previously been the captain of the Central Districts A men's team, as well as skippering his club side and, on occasion, Hawke's Bay.
"I see it as a mentorship opportunity - there's no better way to learn as a leader than from the players who have a lot of leadership experience."
Jayden Lennox is loading for a big day on Sunday | MBUTCHER
The Stags were responsible for denying McConchie's Cantabrians the 2023 Ford Trophy title after Josh Clarkson blasted them to victory in the Napier Grand Final, but the follow-up season was hit and miss, finishing second to last in 2023/24 after missing a couple of key individuals like the now retired swing bowler, Seth Rance.
Lennox would dearly love to lift The Ford Trophy as captain - it's a particularly special trophy to the 29-year-old, personally.
"It was the first format in which I represented the Stags, and the first title that I won with the team," he explains.
"It's a competition that holds a special place in my heart and I think it's really exciting that we're beginning the season with the 50-over format this year."
Robbie O'Donnell now sports ND's maroons | MBUTCHER
Meanwhile in Whangārei, all eyes will be on multi-talented Robbie O'Donnell's first strides in the maroon jersey.
The 30-year-old former Auckland Aces, NZU19 and NZ A captain transferred to Northern Districts during the off-season, a surprise move by the veteran of 84 List A one-dayers.
ICYMI: Men's Contracted Players for 2024/25
There will be no lack of continuity for his former team, the Aces - who were led by Sean Solia last summer in the one-dayers, Solia having taken over this format from O'Donnell as part of their succession planning.
Another change for O'Donnell will be not having to have an extra letter 'R.' on the back of his jersey, and, getting used to having his equally competitive younger brother Will playing against him.
O'Donnell congratulates Scott Johnston during a warm-up fixture| MBUTCHER
Northern Districts will be hosting the Otago Volts in Northland on Sunday, where Luke Georgeson will make his captaincy debut for the visitors.
The Central Stags will be hosting the Aces; McConchie's men ready to play ball in Wellington.
And the appointed umpires - Wayne Knights and Chris Brown; Greg Pennell and John Dempsey; Cory Black and Kannan Jagannathan will be ready to stride out for the best view of the first runs and wickets of the latest New Zealand cricket summer.
The toss is due to occur at each ground at 10am (weather permitting) and each team's first squad of the summer will be released by the respective teams' social media channels and websites by midday Saturday.
