(Cricket news) The two top teams on the national first-class table are the only teams left in the hunt for one of New Zealand’s oldest sporting trophies and, as luck would have it, they are scheduled to meet each other in the season’s final round of four-day matches that begins this Sunday in Hamilton, Napier and Auckland: effectively, it’s a final.

Should Northern win the Plunket Shield, it will end a considerable drought.

Northern has been victorious in the T20 format four times since a breakthrough title in that format in 2014, yet have lifted neither the Plunket Shield nor The Ford Trophy since 2012 and 2010, respectively (and in 2009/10, they had done the first-class/one-day double – see below for list of recent Plunket Shield champions).

A Northern triumph this summer would also mean five different Major Associations would end up holding the annual trophies. 

The Auckland Aces won the men’s Dream11 Super Smash. Wellington Blaze won the women’s Dream11 Super Smash. Canterbury won The Ford Trophy, and the Otago Sparks, the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in the one-day arena.

That’s an uncommon occurrence – and one the Wellington Firebirds will be happy to prevent. 

The Firebirds will head in to the last round as only undefeated team after seven matches, while ND suffered their only loss in the latest round, away to Canterbury in Rangiora.

The Plunket Shield lead has see-sawed between the Firebirds and Northern Districts across the last few rounds, and the Firebirds (on 87 points) will be heading to the decisive game in Hamilton holding a narrow, four-point advantage over Northern (83 points) – with a maximum of 20 points on the table should either side win outright.

Both teams can earn up to eight first innings points (included in the 20 possible points, alongside 12 for an outright win). 

What happens if the two teams hold each other to a draw, and also, finish equal on points? In that case, they would also be equal on the first countback: number of wins, with both teams having won four of their seven rounds to date.

So that scenario would see the Plunket Shield decided on the next separator: net runs per wicket over the whole competition, with ND currently ahead of the Firebirds on this score.

The beautiful silver and wood Plunket Shield has been on the line since the 1906/07 season, and is regarded by players as the hardest trophy to win. 

The Firebirds last achieved it in 2019/20, a summer in which the last two scheduled rounds were called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Firebirds had been sitting on a 26-point lead at the top of the table at that time and, with four wins from six of the eight scheduled games, were awarded the trophy.

The other two matches coming up this Sunday – ousted champions the Central Stags hosting the unpredictable Otago Volts at McLean Park, and the cellar-dwelling Auckland Aces against Canterbury, are dead rubbers.

So all eyes will be on Seddon Park where captains Jeet Raval and Nick Kelly will meet for the toss at 10am, assuming compliant weather in the last throes of the 2023/24 NZC Domestic season.

First ball is at 10.30am. All matches are free admission and livescored with video highlights at www.nzc.nz and on the NZC app, with free livestreams at NZC YouTube.

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