Summer Of Cricket At The Bay Oval To Continue

Posted: Friday, 23 December 2016

Summer of Cricket

The 216/17 Summer of Cricket at the Bay Oval continues next week with two rounds of the McDonalds Super Smash. On Tuesday 27 December, the Knights take on archrivals in the Auckland Aces before backing up on Thursday 29 December against the Canterbury Kings.

Entering the holiday season phase of the McDonalds Super Smash, the Knights sit off the pace in the second half of the standings, however the two home games at the Bay Oval could provide a springboard for the Knights to make the playoffs.

One of the best sized crowds of the current NZ Cricket all-action competition turned up last Sunday (18 December 216) to enjoy the Knights verses Otago Volts encounter. There were heaps of cricket-mad kids on hand chasing their favourite players for autographs and the Kids Zone received plenty of patronage during the afternoon.

Just as Bay of Plenty cricket fans, are catching their breath after the McDonald Super Smash at Blake Park – the Black Caps will arrive at the Bay Oval to square off with Bangladesh, in two International Twenty 20 games.

Once considered the easy beats of international cricket - they have beaten Zimbabwe, India, South Africa and New Zealand in ODI series in the last few years. In 2016, they have defeated England in a test match and finished runner-up in the prestigious Asia Cup, beating Sri Lanka and Pakistan before losing to India in the Asia Cup Final.

The first Black Caps verses Bangladesh Twenty 20, on Friday 6th January 2017, will bring up a significant Bay Oval milestone. The international match-up will bring up the eightieth (80th) International or NZ Cricket Major Association played at the ground in less than a decade. On the 7th December 2007, the Northern Spirit played Canterbury in a NZC Women’s T20 game.

Auckland Anniversary weekend (28/30 January 217) will see one of the oldest cricket trophies in the country go on the line. Bay of Plenty will endeavor to defend the Hawke Cup, which is the symbol of NZC Minor Association cricket supremacy, in a three day game against Zone One challenger Counties Manukau.

Bay of Plenty, won the prestigious piece of NZ Cricket silverware for the fifth time, when they relieved Hawkes Bay of the big prize, late last season. The Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup defence will be first of four Hawke Cup Direct Challenges during January to March 2017.

In March 2017, Trans-Tasman Women’s cricket hostilities will resume at the Bay Oval. Last February, the White Ferns squared off with the Australian Women’s side, in a three game ODI series for a trophy simply known as the “Rosebowl”. The 2016 Rosebowl series turned into a battle of attrition after New Zealand took out the first encounter.

Australian captain Meg Lanning, produced back to back centuries in the last two matchups to give Australian a hard-fought 2-1 series win. To add to the pulsating action during the series, White Ferns skipper Suzie Bates fired a century at the Australian visitors in game three, to set up a thriller.

The White Ferns and their Australian international opponents have a hectic schedule leading up to the two Bay Oval games. They play three Twenty 20 encounters in Australia, before crossing the ditch to play the first ODI at Eden Park Outer Ground on the 26 February 2017.

No matter the result in Auckland, the three-game series will be live and on the line when the two teams square off at the Bay Oval on the 2nd March, before backing up three days later on the 5th March 2017.

Summer of Cricket at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
McDonalds Super Smash
Tuesday 27th December SKYCITY Northern Knights v Auckland Aces – 4.10pm start
Thursday 29th December SKYCITY Northern Knights v Canterbury Kings – 4.10pm start

ICC Twenty 20
Friday 6th January Black Caps v Bangladesh – 3pm start
Sunday 8th January Black Caps v Bangladesh – 3pm start

NZ Cricket Hawke Cup
28/30 January Bay of Plenty (Holders) v Zone One Winners – Counties Manukau

ICC Women’s ODI
2 March White Ferns v Australia Women (Game Two)
5 March White Ferns v Australia Women (Game Three)

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