Focusing on red-ball cricket and rules for the first half of the season should help the squad members in the Wanganui representative team with their Hawke Cup preparations.
Concurrently, while the top players are away at rep games, the remaining club players in both Premier 1 and Premier 2 will contest the combined Twenty20 competition, which starts on October 18 and carries through to finals day on January 24.
January 17 sees the start of the official Premier 1 one-day competition, which this season will have a playoff format, finishing with a final on March 14.
United were last year's one-day and Twenty20 champions, while Bayer Marist took out the Premier League title.
Unlike last summer, the Wanganui Collegiate First XI has been included in the first half of the season, although again out-of-town commitments means availability is under negotiation, as today's game with United has been postponed for another time.
In emailing out the draws, Council of Clubs chairman Neil Kirkwood said discussions still need to happen for the 2015 half of the season, regarding WCS being unavailable during the holiday period.
As well as today's postponed match, St Johns Tech have the bye, so the sole opening game will be between defending Premier League champions Marist and Matt Burke Engineering Saracens at Marton.
United captain Max Carroll said his team had high hopes of retaining their two trophies while adding the Premier League title to get the triple crown.
His vice-captain will be top run scorer Tom Lance, backed by leading spinner Robbie Power and all-rounder Brendon Walker.
After 20 seasons, veteran Gerard Hobbs remains a valuable asset and up-and-coming bowler Dylan Martin will be looking for big things.
Stephen Holloway, Darren Jones, Hayden Kirk and Chris Sharrock all return for another year. Dom Carroll will provide the backup.
Carroll said the "huge loss" will be their other veteran bowler in Jamie Whiteman.
"His firm attitude and strong will to do well, help shape United's winning culture throughout the years, and stir some fight out of his junior counterparts playing with and against him."
Whiteman has moved out of town but will be available on rare occasions he's back in Wanganui.
Ryan Slight will be tasked with filling those shoes after stepping up from the Premier 2s.
"Coming from Renegades he has already impressed at club and representative level - making the wider training squad for games in Levin and Hawkes Bay," said Carroll.
It will be family first for the Tech team, captained again by Dominic Lock.
As the team is built around young senior players and the pick of the bunch from Wanganui High School, Lock will be joined by brother Tyler, alongside two Czerwonkas, Peter and Tim, as well as three Roebucks - Sam, Josh and Tim.
Rep bowler Trent Hemi gets the vice-captaincy. Other key players are Bevan Hunter, Travis Bartels and Wanganui cricket's standout female player, Jessica Watkin.
Devon Purvis, Caleb Greene, Andrew Mackintosh, Jordan Baldwin, Nick Harding and Bret Field complete the lineup.
Marist have welcomed two new players in Jonathan Steward and Marcus Howie as they seek to retain the Premier League title.
Steward, the former Collegiate captain, played age group cricket for Central Districts and returns home after being up in Auckland for study and employment, going straight into the representative team.
"This year he has been travelling through South East Asia and more recently Canada," said club spokesman John McIlraith.
"Jonathan is a top order batsman who can also bowl good mediums."
Howie is originally from Masterton, where he played for Marist Old Boys and was the captain for the past six years.
McIlraith said the Inness brothers - Morgan and Todd - will be available after Christmas when Morgan returns from the United Kingdom and Todd finishes his schoolboy career with Collegiate.
"The rest of our squad is the same from last year. We have all the main contributors back."
Mark Fraser, Sam O'Leary, Fraser Kinnerley, Ross Kinnerley, Brett Cameron, Craige Thorpe, Adam Boult, Mitchell Brett-Atkins, Thomas Redpath, Brett Turner, Gurkarnvir Singh and Nick Blundell form the basis of what should be a strong squad when all are available.
Wanganui Cricket has sold the naming rights for Victoria Park to Tasman Tanning for this season.
