Boult back for Hawke Cup

Bay of Plenty head into another Hawke Cup match today. Photo/File

Bay of Plenty will play their 31st Hawke Cup challenge since 1932 when they meet former competition heavyweights Nelson at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

In this season's Hawke Cup, Bay of Plenty have seen off Counties Manukau and repelled a Hawke's Bay challenge two weeks ago.

"Our current Hawke Cup campaign has been very satisfying, as we showed that we can dominate games from the start, as against Counties, and also recover from a tough position and then dominate against Hawke's Bay," said Bay of Plenty coach Graeme Aldridge.

"Both games were played on very different surfaces and the pleasing thing was that we adapted pretty well on the surface against Hawke's Bay.

"Nelson will be tough and we obviously don't know much about them. Again, though, we will just get ourselves into the game doing the basics well and then adjust as we go."

There is just one change in the side that defeated Hawke's Bay, with Jono Boult returning
to the team from the Northern Knights. Bay of Plenty batsmen Sean Davey and Alex Lees are each coming off back-to-back centuries in the defences so far this season.

Captained by Central Districts spinning allrounder Marty Kain, Nelson also have the services of six-smashing Central Stag Josh Clarkson, the big 2016 New Zealand under 19s player with a dangerous strike rate in white-ball cricket.

Now 20, Clarkson is coming off a strong Ford Trophy season and will be looking to put his best red-ball foot forward to press for reselection in Central's Plunket Shield squad, having played two first-class matches for the Stags as a teenager in 2015.

The three-day game starts today.