Cricket: Hopkins happy to be back

Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins will have more reason to feel happy than most when he pulls his motor into the carpark at Colin Maiden Park.

The last time he was there he was wearing the red-and-black cap of Canterbury but he treated it like his personal playground, scoring 113 and 175 not out.

"We still lost that one though, thanks to a first innings collapse," Hopkins recalled.

Today, Hopkins will lead Auckland against Northern Districts in the fourth round of the Plunket Shield and the teams' seasons could not provide a greater contrast.

Top-of-the-table Northern's modus operandi has been simple, if fortunate: win the toss, insert the opposition, bowl them out cheaply in bowler-friendly conditions, take an iron grip on the match. The only pattern Auckland has been able to establish is to lose on the first innings, meaning a pointless start to the campaign.

"All the guys are pretty excited about playing at Colin Maiden. It's our home for the next two years and we're keen to make a good impression, to start as we mean to carry on."

The wicket was a good batting one back in 2003 and despite the six-year hiatus and the wet weather around the city, Hopkins is expecting nothing less.

Nor is he too concerned about Auckland's wooden spoon position, saying it was early in the season and Auckland were only a couple of wins from being right in the mix again.

In the other matches starting today, Canterbury play CD at Rangiora and Otago meet Wellington at Queenstown.

* Teams

AUCKLAND: Gareth Hopkins (c), Richard Jones, Ravi Bopara, Reece Young, Scott Styris, Anaru Kitchen, Andrew de Boorder, Tarun Nethula, Michael Bates, Lance Shaw, Pieter Erasmus, Greg Morgan (one to be omitted).

NORTHERN DISTRICTS: James Marshall (c), Graeme Aldridge, Brent Arnel, Trent Boult, Peter McGlashan, Bruce Martin, Michael Parlane, Bradley Scott, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Brad Wilson, Joseph Yovich (one to be omitted).

* Should Tim Southee be omitted from New Zealand's XI today, he could be available for ND.