***Official*** New Zealand Domestic Season 2017/18

[The Hutt Rec]

The funniest thing is based on their stats this year, Kitchen would most likely have been dropped for this game too, if he hadn't been promoted to the Blackcaps.

 

[SteveNZ]

Neesham will be retired within the next 12 months. You heard it here first.

Nah. He's 27, has played international cricket and decently well at times. His ceiling money-wise is much higher in cricket than the media, and he'll find it hard to launch into a media career being a dropped domestic player.

 

[Kippax]

Pretty awful from Otago today ... some shabby fielding probably makes it look even worse.

Is something going on down there, or have they just given up on the season and want to try some new players? I'd have thought if it was a happy camp then at least one of Rutherford, Wagner or Neesham would have something to contribute ... but all dropped.

Yeah the fact the South African-born Hicks is their one guy looking significantly improved under Walter is possibly a hint for us, but who knows really.

Otago cricket always has some risk of a fracturing along gamester McCullum and begrudging taskmaster Glenn Turner lines. That's the Scots for you.

 

[Flem274*]

It irrationally bothers me that Sky displays Auckland Aces as AA, Central Stags as CS, Otago Volts as OV etc, but Northern Knights as KN.

I want to be able to call them North Korea too

 

[Kippax]

No Sky is right, Knights is their only name and they've become very particular about this. No Indian kid needs to feel his link to following Knights is a tenuous one. The entertainment value of Boult, be it Trent or Jono, transcends geographical boundaries.

 

[Kippax]

https://www.gotheknights.co.nz/news/ndstructurechange

 

[_Ed_]

Fair enough. Whatever gets them out of having to play games in Northland.

 

[jcas0167]

Oh boy, Neesham 100% fit, yet he could well be running out drinks to 17yo Llew Johnson (a new Otago no. 4) today. Insane proposition to think about it before the season began.

Indeed. Was nice to see a young guy getting a go for Otago. Neesham did defeat Matt Henry in an e-sport cricket game on the cricket show afterwards. I think he will be back to form soon, the guy is class.

http://www.oamarumail.co.nz/sport/bright-future-in-rugby-or-cricket/

 

[straw man]

Pretty awful from Otago today ... some shabby fielding probably makes it look even worse.

Is something going on down there, or have they just given up on the season and want to try some new players? I'd have thought if it was a happy camp then at least one of Rutherford, Wagner or Neesham would have something to contribute ... but all dropped.

Rutherford dropped? I thought T20 was his format - wasn't he one of the top run scorers for Otago last season?

 

[jcas0167]

Rutherford dropped? I thought T20 was his format - wasn't he one of the top run scorers for Otago last season?

Walter said the decision to drop Rutherford and Wagner was partly due to a lack of form in the format but also to give players an opportunity. ''Now is the time to explore change because of where we are in the competition,'' he said. ''You can't justify to the fringe members when you've lost [six out of seven] games that they are not getting a go."

''At the end of the day, the numbers speak for themselves. If people are bemused about the decision then they just need to go and check the averages. The reality is they are not the first quality players to be left out of a team and they certainly won't be the last. In my opinion, we have given guys opportunities. We've let them play and continued to pick them. But at some point you actually have to be fair to the other players in your squad.''

https://www.oct.co.nz/sport/cricket/changes-rung-same-result

 

[Blain]

It's still bloody weird, when you have an old T20 numpty who has barely scored a run this season in all forms (TBF he has 1 hundred), in Brad Wilson down the order. Neesham or Rutherford would added to that line up no doubt. Otago have been going down a Wellington road the past few seasons, not a lot of local guys developing into Black Caps, rather getting old boys from other regions. I really hope guys like Finnie, Nathan Smith, even Duffy develop into strong performers.

 

[straw man]

Yes some interesting logic there.

 

[jcas0167]

It's still bloody weird, when you have an old T20 numpty who has barely scored a run this season in all forms (TBF he has 1 hundred), in Brad Wilson down the order. Neesham or Rutherford would added to that line up no doubt. Otago have been going down a Wellington road the past few seasons, not a lot of local guys developing into Black Caps, rather getting old boys from other regions. I really hope guys like Finnie, Nathan Smith, even Duffy develop into strong performers.

Yes, I thought Rutherford had been in good form earlier in the season too so it seems particularly harsh to leave him out.

 

[Kippax]

Yes some interesting logic there.

Well yeah, has this fixation with youth, novelty, speed and ***iness as being the answer to everything been getting a bit overrated in terms of producing cricketers of enduring relevance over here in NZ for a while, or are South Africans just silly with their outmoded disciplinarian ideas, who'll be suffering away defeats that are as heavy as New Zealand's and Australia's, any year now. That's the question it poses.

It's probably no big drama to me if we have one out of the six domestic coaches who's sort of different, who doesn't really rate Rutherford and Neesham. Sort of lightweight guys, frat boy personalities who came out all hot fire in their international careers, then couldn't handle life outside their preferred safe spaces. Not really mentors for a Shawn Hicks or Llew Johnson who are going to mesh with Walter's attempt to discipline. They'd be more likely to just clash and muddy the message conveyed, in a way the dogged and grafting Brad Wilson I suppose doesn't.

 

[Kippax]

https://scoring.nzc.nz/livescoring/match4732/scorecard.aspx

Haha Ludick damn near played out a maiden, just to get to his ton. The hot batting form continues for that guy though. Afghan U19 quite impressive in sweeping the CD XI 3-0.

 

[_Ed_]

Any chance of today's TV game in Christchurch going ahead? If not I might as well get some chores done.

 

[BackFootPunch]

Any chance of today's TV game in Christchurch going ahead? If not I might as well get some chores done.

Would be surprised if they get it in. Been raining pretty steadily here all day and hasn't looked like letting up.

 

[_Ed_]

Decent all-round game for Rance.

 

[Slippaah]

The Kiwi Super Smash appears to have sunk without trace overshadowed by The Ashes, BBL, WINDIES and Pakistan tours of NZ. Only a handful of games televised apparently but watched the superb game between Aces and Firebirds which was streamed LIVE into Asia on Xmas Eve. The NZ Herald abandoned coverage of Auckland Domestic cricket years ago when media facilities and free grazing at lunch and tea were cut back. A shame as the Super Smash has some decent talent on show. The ball certainly flies into the crowd on the Bank at Eden Park No. 2 . Great atmosphere unlike the sterile stadia - monuments to Mammon - featured in the BBL .

 

[African Monkey]

The Kiwi Super Smash appears to have sunk without trace overshadowed by The Ashes, BBL, WINDIES and Pakistan tours of NZ. Only a handful of games televised apparently but watched the superb game between Aces and Firebirds which was streamed LIVE into Asia on Xmas Eve. The NZ Herald abandoned coverage of Auckland Domestic cricket years ago when media facilities and free grazing at lunch and tea were cut back. A shame as the Super Smash has some decent talent on show. The ball certainly flies into the crowd on the Bank at Eden Park No. 2 . Great atmosphere unlike the sterile stadia - monuments to Mammon - featured in the BBL .

I think our Super Smash is a quality league with a lot of good young players out there trying to prove themselves unlike that god awful Big Bash retirement home league that gets shoved down our throats.