CRICKET WELLINGTON MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday 24 February 2011

Club cricket returns to the Basin Reserve and Firebirds players available in this weekend’s matches

A big weekend of Wellington club cricket includes:

• A double header weekend for Intercity grades (a two-day round on Saturday and Sunday)
• Wellington Firebirds playing for their club teams
• Club cricket being played on the Basin Reserve
• A minute’s silence being observed at the start of play in all intercity matches on Saturday
• Wilkinson Pearce Cup and Hazlett Trophy competitions set to heat up with just three rounds to play
• Two clubs holding Old Timers’ Days this weekend

Club cricket being played on the Basin Reserve and Wellington Firebirds players being available for their clubs are two features of a big double header round of Wilkinson Pearce Cup and Hazlett Trophy two-day matches this weekend.

The postponement of the scheduled Plunket Shield match between the Firebirds and the Canterbury Wizards on the Basin Reserve has provided the opportunity for club cricket to return to New Zealand’s premier ground. Club cricket returns to the Basin Reserve for the first time in three seasons in the Pearce Cup match between Wellington Collegians and Taita.

Following Tuesday’s devastating Christchurch earthquake on Tuesday, a minute’s silence will be observed at the start of all club cricket matches around the Cricket Wellington region on Saturday.

Additionally, two clubs – Naenae Old Boys and Eastern Suburbs - are holding Old Timers’ Days for past members and supporters this Saturday at their clubrooms at Kilbirnie and Naenae Parks respectively.

With just three full rounds of two-day matches remaining, including this double header round on Saturday and Sunday, the Pearce Cup and Hazlett Trophy competitions are set to heat up this weekend.

In the Pearce Cup, the race to make the three-day Final is intensifying, with the top four teams still in with a chance of making the Final and the bottom four teams still in danger of facing relegation to the Hazlett Trophy grade for next season. Eight points separate the three leading teams, Karori, Naenae Old Boys and nine-time defending champions Eastern Suburbs.

The match at the Basin Reserve between Pearce Cup sides Taita and Wellington Collegians is between the seventh and eighth placed contenders. An outright win for either side would see them go a long way towards retaining their Pearce Cup status for next season.

In this weekend’s three other Pearce Cup matches, second placed Naenae host fourth placed Onslow, leaders Karori play away to fifth placed Hutt District and third placed Easts host fifth placed North City who could be boosted by up to four of its Wellington Firebirds players.

Joe Austin Smellie, Mark Gillespie, Michael Pollard and Malaesaili Tugaga could all turn out for Norths against Easts, who could have Josh Brodie and Jeetan Patel in their side.

Other players expected to play in the Peace Cup on Saturday and Sunday are: Andy McKay, Stephen Murdoch and Harry Boam (Karori), Neal Parlane, Stewart Rhodes and Andrew Lamb (Onslow) Grant Elliott (Naenae) and Cameron Merchant (Taita).

In the Hazlett Trophy, six teams are separated by just eight points and are all still in contention to take the title and earn promotion to the Pearce Cup for 2011/12.

Frontrunners Upper Hutt, who lead second placed Johnsonville on the standings by less than a point, meet seventh placed Taita at Fraser Park. Johnsonville play fifth placed University at Alex Moore Park, third placed Easts meet bottom placed Norths at Linden Park while fourth placed Petone-Riverside travel to meet sixth placed Karori.

The points tables are (three rounds remaining):
Wilkinson Pearce Cup*
Points: Karori 70.01; Naenae 65.57; Easts 62.28; Onslow 51.39; Hutt 40.46; North City 37.20; Taita 35.53; Collegians 33.07

Wilkinson Hazlett Trophy**
Points: Upper Hutt 60.94; Johnsonville 60.55; Easts 54,42; Petone-Riverside 53.14; University 52.77; Karori 52.17; Taita 39.48; North City 22.00

*The top two teams at the end of the regular season meet in the Wilkinson Pearce Cup Final between 2-4 April.
**There is no Wilkinson Hazlett Trophy Final this year. The team leading the standings at the end of the regular season will win the Hazlett Trophy and earn promotion to the Pearce Cup for 2011/12.

ENDS

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