The Northland side have to beat Bay of Plenty thoroughly at Cobham Oval this weekend to win the Northern Districts region's Fergus Hickey Cup, and hope that Counties- Manukau don't steal their thunder. Northland and Bay of Plenty are currently tied at the top of the table, with Counties sitting inthird. If Counties win their match with maximum points, they will leapfrog Northland and the Bay to take the title if neither of those teams wins with maximum points. Northland wicket-keeper batsman and captain Brett Hood will be a crucial part of that, following recent games which included a 107 in the win over Waikato Valley earlier this month. Hood picked up the keeping gloves again after last year's two keepers were unavailable. He's enjoying the challenge and said he likes the dual-role of keeping and batting. "Last year I was just a batsman, so when I heard they needed a keeper this year I put my hand up. I like the different mental approach of both roles." One of the older members of the team, Hood said the mixture of young talent and "old fellahs" over 30 means a good team environment. "We've got a new coach [Graham Barlow] and there's a real focus on high-performance." Also a representative hockey player, Hood was philosophical about his own recent good form. "A little bit older, a little bit wiser maybe," he said After the Fergus Hickey game, Northland compete for the Hawke Cup next weekend. Northland earned the right last year to challenge for the Cup against the winners of the Central Districts competition. They play Hawke's Bay in Napier in a two-day match. Northland's first class players could be available, because it is played in a gap between the State Twenty20 and State Championship competition. Northland: Brett Hood (captain), Bert Horner, Dean Child, Ian Page, Chris Page, Tauseef Satti, Mark Tulloch, Stephen John, John Child, Rory Darkins, Jamie Millar, Nathan MacKenzie.
