Northern Knights Up For One-Day Defence

The Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights begin their men's one day competition defence today, Sunday, away against HRV Cup champions, the Auckland Aces, at Colin Maiden Park.

Naming the team for the first two rounds, selectors have called in left-arm spinner Jason Donnelly and bolstered the top order with batting anchorman Michael Parlane in the absence of Blackcap Kane Willamson.

James Marshall also returns to the side as captain, after a horror run with the bat in the HRV Cup saw him dropped. Marshall returned to run-making in the side's one-day warm-ups and reassumes the reins from Brad Wilson.

The Auckland match is a repeat of last year’s final, which the Knights won.
 
After a poor finish to the 2010/11 HRV Cup in which the highly-rated team ended up in fourth place, the Knights can remember that they were in the same position last season, but they went on to win both the domestic one day competition and the first-class Plunket Shield.

The match begins at 11am.

The team for rounds one and two is:
 
James Marshall (Captain)              Northland
Graeme Aldridge                            Bay of Plenty
Trent Boult                                      Bay of Plenty
Jason Donnelly                               Bay of Plenty
Daniel Flynn                                    Bay of Plenty
Peter McGlashan                            Counties Manukau
Michael Parlane                              Northland
Bradley Scott                                  Waikato Valley
Scott Styris                                      Waikato Valley
BJ Watling                                       Hamilton
Brad Wilson                                     Northland
Joseph Yovich                                 Northland