***Official New Zealand Domestic Season 2021/22***

[Flem274*]

Yeah the major associations cynicism towards their own club or Hawke Cup cricketers is frustrating, especially since they often turn out to be wrong. Vishvaka and Robinson have hardly disgraced Wellington, and I can't remember the last CD player brought in from obscurity to be really bad.

I suspect talent scouts in this country are dangerously conservative or unimaginative. I know the gap can be large (so specialist bowlers are often allrounders for their clubs) but when players finally brought in tend to be perfectly fine it makes a bit of a mockery of the seasons of essentially telling club cricketers to pack it in because only age group matters. Clubs already struggle for numbers enough at Second XI level if there is a Black Caps, FC match, Hawke Cup match and Premier Grade match (or even a regional A match on top) on at the same time....we don't need to gut their player base more.

 

[Kippax]

Yes, the talent scouts rest on their laurels because they've already lost virtually all public and media scrutiny for cricket in most parts of the country, and yet their income still filters down and keeps things alive in a slothful zombie form, from the giant and very engaged Indian market, down to NZC and then to them. It's like getting a reliable passive income, no serious demands or obligations asked of you.

I think Wellington is maybe the region where doing eye-catching things in club play like Tim Pringle did would quickly get you up into pro cricket, partly because there's still a contingent of people who talk about, tweet about or write about the Wellington team.

 

[Kippax]

Otago perhaps as well, putting aside what they did with Ma'ara Ave.

 

[Immenso]

Yeah the major associations cynicism towards their own club or Hawke Cup cricketers is frustrating, especially since they often turn out to be wrong. Vishvaka and Robinson have hardly disgraced Wellington, and I can't remember the last CD player brought in from obscurity to be really bad.

I suspect talent scouts in this country are dangerously conservative or unimaginative. I know the gap can be large (so specialist bowlers are often allrounders for their clubs) but when players finally brought in tend to be perfectly fine it makes a bit of a mockery of the seasons of essentially telling club cricketers to pack it in because only age group matters. Clubs already struggle for numbers enough at Second XI level if there is a Black Caps, FC match, Hawke Cup match and Premier Grade match (or even a regional A match on top) on at the same time....we don't need to gut their player base more.

The talent scouting for some of the associations should be fairly simple. Those with minor associations feeding into Hawke Cup. So ND and CD especially no excuse. They have a good funnel in place.

Otago and Canterbury less relevant due to the lop-sidedness of the talent in the single metro rather than the minor associations.

That Lachie Johns got drafted in to play cards for 4 days in the rain is absolutely damning on ND's talent identification systems. Really truely pathetic.

 

[Immenso]

Remember when Matt Henry made his FC debut as (an un-contracted) replacement drafted in half way through a match as some of the more senior players with more family commitments needed to get back after the earthquake. He kicked the door down.

What would they do today? Draft in an Ian McPeake or Owen Pringle or something?

 

[vandem]

The talent scouting for some of the associations should be fairly simple. Those with minor associations feeding into Hawke Cup. So ND and CD especially no excuse. They have a good funnel in place....

That Lachie Johns got drafted in to play cards for 4 days in the rain is absolutely damning on ND's talent identification systems. Really truely pathetic.

There have also been 34 games this season between A sides (including New Zealand Development Squad), so most next level players should have got some exposure.

The ND Johns selection was a strange one. Perhaps both Bocock and Ben Pomare (21 years old, 6 games for ND A this season, 137 runs @ 22, 6 catches 3 stumpings) weren't available. But nothing mentioned in ND media.

 

[SteveNZ]

Remember when Matt Henry made his FC debut as (an un-contracted) replacement drafted in half way through a match as some of the more senior players with more family commitments needed to get back after the earthquake. He kicked the door down.

What would they do today? Draft in an Ian McPeake or Owen Pringle or something?

Ollie Son of Chris according to Stuff (but actually son of Martin).

I think the thing with the regional selectors, there's so often club-based bias. And whilst I've never been one, I would imagine there's a tendency to pick the guy who won't lose you the next game, rather than tear the competition a new one and make higher honours 3 years later. Auckland have, for a long time, been the worst at this (and that's who I'm basing my opinion on). They'll import a middle of the ground, ripe to take 3-75 guy now over a raw talent who could be much more.

 

[vandem]

NZ cricket PS points table has recently been updated to remove the points from ND+CD game, were both showing played 7 earlier today, now played 6, not sure why, but NZC soreboard now says "Match called off" not "Match Drawn" as per Immenso screenshot, so perhaps a replay in a fortnight?

 

[Kippax]

It could also be that ND's season is done and dusted, and the final ladder positions will be determined on some kind of points per game basis, the system I think NZC said they were going to fall back on if Auckland and ND couldn't get in a full schedule.

 

[Immenso]

NZ cricket PS points table has recently been updated to remove the points from ND+CD game, were both showing played 7 earlier today, now played 6, not sure why, but NZC soreboard now says "Match called off" not "Match Drawn" as per Immenso screenshot, so perhaps a replay in a fortnight?

Lol, a replay.
C'mon. Bare minimum will be done.

That will just be some 'points per game' adjustment. Would be very extreme to say Raval's double ton didn't exist. But .... these suits actually dont really like cricket much, so ...

 

[Immenso]

I suspect these remaining catchup games at "venues yo be confirmed" wont happen, and probably never were intended to.

There is also a game not involving ND 'scheduled '. It won't happen.

 

[vandem]

I suspect these remaining catchup games at "venues yo be confirmed" wont happen, and probably never were intended to.

There is also a game not involving ND 'scheduled '. It won't happen.

Venues have been confirmed for next week's games, Napier and Whangarei. The Cant / Auck "scheduled" game added past the end of the previous season finish date has been allocated to Bert Sutcliffe Oval.

And from ND FB page:

Our Plunket Shield match against @centralstags has been discarded and our Northern Districts Men now remain alive in the competition!
Our final match of the summer against @cricketwellington Firebirds has been rescheduled to begin on Wednesday 6 April.

So all teams will play 8 games, but CD and ND won't count points from the covid match, so title will be decided on points per game. If my maths is correct then Auckland need 1 more batting / bowling point to take the title.

 

[vandem]

Big changes for ND tomorrow. Looks like nobody from last round considered due to covid.

Sodhi captain. Matt Fisher, Scott Johnston, Kris Clarke and Zak Gibson the only others in the team with FC experience.

So Tim Pringle won't make his FC debut until next season.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Pringle was 12th man in the last round? That’s pretty unlucky!

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Wellington squad for tomorrow:

Blundell
Hartshorn
Johns
Johnson, T
McComb, K
McPeake
Ravindra
Robinson
Severin
Smith
Vishvaka
Younghusband.

So, a couple of debutants. Bhula and Sneddon dropped for Hartshorn and McComb. Either Severin or McComb in line for a debut. Then Hartshorn (1 cap) and Robinson/Vishvaka (2 caps) makes for a very fresh-faced Wellington side. Clearly expecting spin in Whangarei with Younghusband and McComb in the mix.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Is Severin another South African import? He's got a club contract in Kent for the English season ahead. Born in RSA, British ancestry visa, has played at least U17s for Wellington.

What happened to Andrew Fletcher this year btw? He'd been building up a pretty reasonable OD resume at the very least.

 

[ataraxia]

ND vs Wellington is going to be quite a low-quality game isn't it. Will be interesting at least.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Auckland squad impacted as well:

Briggs
Delport
Harrison
Horne
Keene
McGregor-Sumpter
O'Donnell, W
Pringle, O
Solia
Somerville
Sussex
ter Braak

Debut for either Sussex or McGregor-Sumpter (or both)

 

[thierry henry]

Sandeep Patel is a good club man at Manukau, seems to be there for post match drinks every time we play there. Must be a decent shout for shortest current FC cricketer in NZ too.

 

[Immenso]

That is awesome for Peter Drysdale.

Has ever played for ND at any format? Seems to have been dominating for BOP for ages and playing for ND 'A'.