Cricket: Twenty/20 kicks off club contest

Auckland Aces coach Mark O'Donnell will be hoping smaller is better when the first of three club competitions starts today.

Auckland had a less than memorable 2005-06 and are facing up to a new season without the retired stalwarts Matt Horne and Kerry Walmsley, while the likely unavailability of internationals Scott Styris, Lou Vincent and Kyle Mills poses a challenge for O'Donnell and returning captain Richard Jones.

Club play will be an important part of the representative build-up, with the season opening with a Twenty/20 competition.

In a major change, the 16 teams previously in first grade have been reduced to 12.

Gone are the second teams from Cornwall and Parnell, Ellerslie and University have joined forces, while Birkenhead City have dropped down to premier reserve.

In a move that might not win universal approval among the lesser clubs, in particular Birkenhead, Auckland Cricket has ruled there will be no promotion-relegation for at least three seasons.

Horne and Walmsley will not be lost to Auckland cricket as they will coach Grafton and Howick Pakuranga respectively joining other well-known players such as Paul Strang (East Coast Bays), Dave Richardson (Parnell) and Jason Mills (Takapuna) in the premier coaching ranks.

Walmsley will captain Howick Pakuranga, who are seeking to defend their one-day title. Rex Smith is back to coach Cornwall in their defence of the two-day crown.

The first two rounds of the Twenty/20 competition will be played on artificial pitches today, with three games at Keith Hay Park and three at Cornwall Park.

The top teams in each section will play the October 22 final the day after the one-day competition starts. It is hoped the second round of the one-day competition, scheduled for October 28, will be played on grass.

Auckland's shocking winter weather has ruled out Victoria Park for Grafton's premiers this summer, with their matches set to be played at Coxs Bay Reserve.

The two-day championship, again to be played in two sections of six, starts on November 11 and will, until December 3, be interwoven with one-day games. The one-dayers then take a break until second round action in mid-January, with the final scheduled for February 25.

The two-day championship will be played over an initial round of five matches and a championship round of another five games, with the season to end on March 31.

The four teams in the women's premier competition - Parnell/Takapuna, Cornwall, South/South East and Central/West - start their season next Saturday.