First 14 players offered Auckland Aces contracts

Tuesday, 28 June 2016

First 14 players offered Auckland Aces contracts

The Auckland Aces will have a strong mix of proven and fresh talent for the 2016/17 season, with an exciting combination of familiar and new faces named in the first round of 14 contracts.

A strong core of senior Auckland Aces featuring Rob Nicol, Colin de Grandhomme, Tarun Nethula, Jeet Raval and Brad Cachopa will again lead the side. The team as a whole will be looking to maintain the strong form they showed in winning both the Plunket Shield and Georgie Pie Super Smash last season.

Lockie Ferguson, Donovan Grobbelaar, Michael Guptill-Bunce and Robert O'Donnell all grew in their contributions to the side last season and will be looking to do so even more consistently this season.

The squad's new faces from the last contract list are Mark Chapman, Dane Hutchinson and Cody Andrews. Chapman is a highly promising cricketer who already has an established international record with Hong Kong and impressed in making his debut in all three formats last season for Auckland.

Hutchinson and Andrews both join Auckland from other Major Associations and will help bolster an attack that has lost stalwart Michael Bates to retirement and Matthew Quinn to Essex. Hutchinson has been a proven performer in all formats for Wellington and will bring good spice to the attack. Andrews had a tough last season with injury for Northern Districts but is a proven performer at A level and offers great excitement with the ball.

Promising youngsters Shawn Hicks and Glenn Phillips are both back after gaining their first contracts last season and will be looking to further develop their impressive talents. New Zealand Under 19 star Phillips will join the squad after taking part in the MCC Young Cricketers Programme over the New Zealand winter.

Auckland Aces Coach Mark O'Donnell believes the side is well balanced and has a lot to build on from last season.

“It is very exciting to have such a strong mixture of experience and youth in the team. I was particularly pleased last season that players across the squad delivered match winning performances. Our established leaders took charge well and a number of young players really developed their roles. We also have a number of players who have come through the Auckland system and it is always pleasing to see them deliver at this level.”

“We have obviously lost some of our attack from last season but I am very pleased with the bowlers we have been able to bring together. I think we have another squad who are capable of doing well across all three formats in what is a big season.”

The first 14 players offered Mondiale Auckland Aces contracts for the 2016/17 season in alphabetical order are as follows:

Cody Andrews
Brad Cachopa (Takapuna)
Mark Chapman (Parnell)
Colin de Grandhomme (Howick Pakuranga)
Lockie Ferguson (Parnell)
Donovan Grobbelaar (Howick Pakuranga)
Michael Guptill-Bunce (Cornwall)
Shawn Hicks (Howick Pakuranga)
Dane Hutchinson
Tarun Nethula (Cornwall)
Rob Nicol (Captain) (Cornwall)
Robert O’Donnell (Takapuna)
Glenn Phillips (Howick Pakuranga)
Jeet Raval (Suburbs New Lynn)

ENDS

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