Cricket: Another Hamilton game switched

Wellington's Chris Nevin is confined to batting as his broken finger heals. Picture / Paul Estcourt

The Northern Knights are on the move again as another match scheduled for Hamilton is switched, this time to Owen Delany Park in Taupo.

Controversy has surrounded the Westpac Park pitch since the match between the Black Caps and the World 11 last week descended into farce.

Friday's encounter with Wellington will start at noon rather than 2.30pm when it was originally set down as a day/night affair. The game is Northern's last home game in State Shield round-robin play and their penultimate match.


Northern Districts chief executive David Cooper said a decision would be made tomorrow on where, should Northern be involved, the Shield semifinal or final would be played if Hamilton was again ruled out.

"If we can't play at Westpac Park, we have only two options - Gisborne or Taupo," he said yesterday.

"We should know after the game against Central where we are likely to finish and whether we will be hosting either the semifinal or final."

For today's game against the Central Stags in Masterton, Northern will stick with the same 12 players who beat Otago at Gisborne on Sunday, picking up a bonus in the process.

Central, who flew to Wellington from Christchurch yesterday and will travel to Masterton this morning, have retained the same players who lost by seven wickets to Canterbury.

That loss allowed Northern to take over the lead by two points.

It was just a bad day at the office, said Central coach Graham Barlow.

"We lost a couple of early wickets, got back into it and then stumbled again.

"In the conditions we were well short of what we needed. With another 30-40 runs we might have had a chance."

Ewen Thompson was 12th man at Hagley Oval and is likely to be so again today at QEII Park.

In another key match today, the Otago Volts, who have dropped off the pace after looking like contenders for a top-three finish, play the disappointing Auckland Aces at Centennial Park in Oamaru.

The Canterbury Wizards, keen to build on strong recent showings and now in play-off contention, meet the inconsistent Wellington Firebirds at the Basin Reserve.

Wellington keeper Chris Nevin will again play as a specialist batsman as he recovers from a broken finger on his right hand, and doubts that he will replace stand-in Neal Parlane before the semifinals, if Wellington make it that far.

Meanwhile, in Auckland club cricket, Parnell, almost beaten outright by North Shore, held on to take first-innings points and regain the lead in the premier championship.

Needing 169 in their second innings to gain maximum points after taking a first-innings lead, Parnell were teetering at 152 for nine at the close after Terry Crabb almost steered Shore to victory with an unbeaten century in the second innings and then claiming five for 20.

No premier match produced an outright result, but Papatoetoe, Cornwall and Howick Pakuranga all improved their positions on the table in picking up first-innings points.

First-grade leaders Takapuna, like North Shore, were denied outright points when University reached 186 for nine - three runs short of victory.