Cricket: Seven Northlanders set for Croatian battle

Joey Yovich will captain the New Zealand Croatian side against the Developing Future Aces. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northland will be well represented when the Kookaburra NZ Croatia XI take to Cornwall Park today.Former Northern Districts all-rounder Joey Yovich will captain the side as they take on the Auckland Developing Future Aces and he's joined by a host of others from the region.

Dion Nash and James Marshall, from Dargaville and Warkworth respectively, headline the Northland contingent as former Black Caps and invited guests.

Others heading down are Northern Districts A wicket-keeper Brad Kneebone and Craig Little as invited guests, while Kaipara Flats batsman Matt Vujcich has represented the NZ Croatia team before.

Ross Kneebone has been invited down to umpire.

Yovich, a founding member of the NZ Croatia team, said it's a great opportunity for players to give back to the game.

"It's always a great day down at Cornwall Park.

"There's a number of Croatian players in New Zealand and we want to help develop that as well as improve the levels of the young Auckland players.

"Some good young players have come out of the Future Aces, guys like Sean Solia and Glenn Phillips [who made his debut for the Black Caps last year]."

Another former Black Cap, Richard Jones, will also be playing as an invited guest.

The annual encounter is designed to challenge young cricketers and give them an opportunity to learn from playing the country's battle-hardened veterans.

Auckland's talented young Future Aces side will be in for a challenging time trying to reverse last season's loss to the Croatian side.

The first ball is expected to be bowled at 10am.