(Cricket reels) Throwing it back to the golden age of the Hawke Cup, a stack of first-class players have been named for both sides as holder Hawke’s Bay and Zone 2 Challenger Manawatū prepare to do battle in the first Challenge Match of the regular 2023/24 summer, livescored at nzc.nz and on the NZC app from 10.30am.

Meanwhile, Central Stags Plunket Shield captain Greg Hay and Otago Volts paceman Jarrod McKay (the Nelsonian can represent his home province at Hawke Cup level) will be turning out for Nelson against Canterbury Country at Rangiora’s Mainpower Oval, with Canterbury reps Fraser Sheat, Rhys Mariu and Harry Chamberlain all turning out for the hosts in the Zone 3 Final to determine which team gets to make the Zone 3 Challenge – that concurrent Final also livescored at nzc.nz and on the NZC app from 10.30am.

At Napier’s Nelson Park, Hawke’s Bay captain and spinning allrounder Angus Schaw, top order batter Jack Boyle, pace allrounder Will Clark, paceman Liam Dudding (fresh off a six-wicket bag in the Furlong Cup), young paceman Toby Findlay, spinning allrounder Brett Johnson, leg-spinning allrounder Brad Schmulian, paceman Ben Stoyanoff and wicketkeeper-batter Bayley Wiggins are all capped Stags across either the first-class or white-ball formats who are turning out for Hawke’s Bay, while from the other side of the Ruahine Range, captain and allrounder Bevan Small, batters Mason Hughes and Curtis Heaphy, wicketkeeper-batter Dane Cleaver – fresh off an outstanding Dream11 Super Smash campaign with the blade, and left-arm in-swinging paceman Ray Toole are all looking to bring the Hawke Cup back with them from Napier.

Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū both have decorated histories in the hard-fought provincial Challenge competition that stretches all the way back to 1910. 

Manawatū most recently held the silverware in 2014/15, before surrendering the prize to Canterbury Country and most recently challenged Hawke’s Bay in 2021/22.

Hawke’s Bay retaining the Cup in that pandemic-truncated season, before losing it to Canterbury Country at the start of the 2022/23 Challenge series and snatching it back in style at the start of this season from Canterbury Country in Rangiora, in a match held over from 2022/23 due to Cyclone Gabrielle.

To retain the Hawke Cup this time, Hawke’s Bay will need to win outright or win on the first innings of the three-day Challenge at Napier’s Nelson Park, and whichever team holds the trophy aloft on Sunday afternoon will then get ready to host the next Challenge at their home ground on 9 February.

The summer’s remaining Challenge Matches have been inked in for 23-25 February and 8-10 March, with results of the Zone 1, 3 and 4 competitions to determine each Challenger.

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