Cricket: Auckland fired up for shield contest

Batters Anaru Kitchen left and Gareth Hopkins. Photo / APN

Auckland's bid to end a barren first-class record in recent seasons continues in Wellington today.

After a month-long break for the HRV Cup, the Plunket Shield returns to domestic centre stage. The last time Auckland won the title was the 2008-09 season. Five players remain in the squad for today from that final against Central Districts - captain Gareth Hopkins, Michael Bates, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeet Raval and Anaru Kitchen.

Last summer Auckland finished last, 19 points behind fifth-placed finisher Canterbury, who top the current ladder.

Encouragingly they won their previous game shortly before Christmas, a runfest against Northern Districts on Eden Park's outer oval, chasing down 409 to win, courtesy of de Grandhomme's century and nineties from Martin Guptill and Tim McIntosh.

Coach Matt Horne knows there are sufficient chunks of points on offer with five rounds left.

"There's a heap of cricket and loads of points on offer so we're really not focusing on the specifics of that at all," former international batsman Horne said.

"We want to make sure first and foremost that we are winning each session and if we do that then you hope that the result will come."

Auckland will be without fast-medium pair Kyle Mills and Mitchell McClenaghan, and Guptill who are on ODI duty.

The batting will be led by Raval, already with two first-class hundreds behind him in the first half of the competition, while McIntosh and de Grandhomme are also averaging in the mid-40s.

Wellington have the top scorer in the shield, opener Michael Papps, who has hit 654 runs at a whopping 109 average, while Michael Pollard and James Franklin are also averaging well over 50.

In the other two sixth round games starting today, Central Districts host Northern Districts in Napier while Otago face Canterbury in Dunedin.

Points after five rounds: Canterbury 62, Wellington 50, Otago 39, Auckland 37, ND 32, CD 27.

Auckland XI

Auckland team to play Wellington at the Basin Reserve, starting today:

Gareth Hopkins (c), Jeet Raval, Tim McIntosh, Anaru Kitchen, Craig Cachopa, Colin Munro, Colin de Grandhomme, Bruce Martin, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Quinn, Michael Bates, Dean Bartlett.