State Championship starts with Canterbury - Auckland clash

The 2008/09 State Championship season gets under way tomorrow [Monday 10 November] with current champions, the State Canterbury Wizards, taking on the State Auckland Aces, third-placed qualifiers last season, in a four-day match at Mainpower Oval, Rangiora.

Canterbury will be aiming to follow up its winning form from the 2007/08 season, when it secured a hard-fought 49 run win over five days against top qualifiers the State Wellington Firebirds.

The new season of State Championship cricket will see a total of 25 first-class games played between now and April 2009. The first four rounds go through to mid-December, with the Championship then taking a break for the State Shield one-day competition and the State Twenty20.

The Championship resumes in March with the final scheduled for 5 – 9 April 2009.

The first round of the State Shield one-day competition will be held on 21 December. Last season saw Otago win their first one-day trophy since 1987/88. The State Shield final is set down for 1 February 2009.

The State Twenty20 competition will be held for the fourth time this season, with the first round on 4 February 2009. The competition expands from six rounds and a final last season, to eight rounds and a final for 2008/09. The State Twenty20 final will be on 1 March. This season SKY will televise a record eight State Twenty20 matches, as well as the State Shield final.

The women’s competition gets under way on 5 December with the first round of State League Twenty20 matches, followed by the State League first round the following day.
 

The State Championship schedule:

10 – 13 November 2008
State Canterbury Wizards vs State Auckland Aces; Mainpower Oval, Rangiora

17 – 20 November 2008
State Otago Volts vs State Northern Knights; University Oval, Dunedin
State Central Stags vs State Auckland Aces; Nelson Park, Napier
State Wellington Firebirds vs State Canterbury Wizards; Allied Nationwide Finance, Basin Reserve, Wellington

24 – 27 November 2008
State Auckland Aces vs State Wellington Firebirds; Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
State Otago Volts vs State Canterbury Wizards; Queens Park, Invercargill
State Northern Knights vs State Central Stags; Seddon Park, Hamilton

1 – 4 December 2008
State Wellington Firebirds vs State Northern Knights; Allied Nationwide Finance, Basin Reserve, Wellington

5 – 8 December 2008
State Central Stags vs State Otago Volts; McLean Park, Napier

12 – 15 December 2008
State Northern Knights vs State Canterbury Wizards; Seddon Park, Hamilton
State Wellington Firebirds vs State Central Stags; Allied Nationwide Finance, Basin Reserve, Wellington

13 – 16 December 2008
State Auckland Aces vs State Otago Volts; Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland

6 – 9 March 2009
State Canterbury Wizards vs State Central Stags; Mainpower Oval, Rangiora
State Northern Knights vs State Auckland Aces; Cobham Oval, Whangarei
State Otago Volts vs State Wellington Firebirds; University Oval, Dunedin

13 – 16 March 2009
State Canterbury Wizards vs State Northern Knights; QEII Park, Christchurch
State Central Stags vs State Wellington Firebirds; McLean Park, Napier
State Otago Volts vs State Auckland Aces; Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown

20 – 23 March 2009
State Auckland Aces vs State Northern Knights; Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
State Central Stags vs State Canterbury Wizards; McLean Park, Napier
State Wellington Firebirds vs State Otago Volts; Allied Nationwide Finance, Basin Reserve, Wellington

28 – 31 March 2009
State Canterbury Wizards vs State Otago Volts; QEII Park, Christchurch
State Northern Knights vs State Wellington Firebirds; Cobham Oval, Whangarei

29 March – 1 April 2009
State Auckland Aces vs State Central Stags; Allied Nationwide Finance, Basin Reserve, Wellington

5 – 9 April 2009
Final, to be advised.

For full domestic season schedules see:
http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/domestic/schedules/domestic-schedules.aspx