One dream dies, another is very much alive as Ford Trophy leaders the CENTRAL STAGS look to move on from the gut-punch of missing out on this season's Dream11 Super Smash finals.

The Stags had been leading both white-ball comps, but suffered derailments in their final three T20 rounds to narrowly miss out on the 2022/23 Dream11 Super Smash playoffs.

It was Northern Brave who edged the team in Friday night's low-scoring thriller on a lifeless surface (after a week of rain swamped the upper North Island).

BRETT RANDELL is The Ford Trophy's top wicket-taker | PHOTOSPORT

 

Northern, with KANE WILLIAMSON named in their Ford Trophy squad, and Central will be going at it again tomorrow, this time at Napier's McLean Park, in a free admission one-dayer for Waitangi Day Monday.

The Stags welcomed back DOUG BRACEWELL on Friday who hit his mark fresh off the plane from India with career-best T20 figures of 3/19.

Bracewell is now set to play his 90th List A one-dayer while fellow BLACKCAPS tourist DANE CLEAVER brings his talents back to the squad as well after touching down back home, hungry to get back on the park after carrying the drinks on tour.

DANE CLEAVER IS SET TO PLAY HIS COUSIN KANE | PHOTOSPORT

Fresh off his Dream11 Super Smash recall after an injury-enforced absence of almost four years, experienced allrounder BEVAN SMALL has also been named in The Ford Trophy squad for Napier and if named in the starting XI will play his first one-dayer for the team since November 2018 in Dunedin - and first home Ford Trophy match at McLean Park since 2015.

Small has 33 matches under his belt in this format, his 47 wickets including a bag of 5/45.

Northern Districts sits in second spot on the one-day table, just two points behind the Stags which means ND could snatch the lead in this penultimate round if the visitors have the better day again.

But they're coming off a hiding in Hamilton in this format against the Stags, and a win to the reinforced Stags will see them become the first team to book tickets to the playoffs in Queenstown for the second year running, where the top three teams will slug it out for the trophy.

Tomorrow's free match is live-streamed here at www.cdcricket.co.nz with the toss at 10.30am and first ball at 11am.

ROUND NINE • 2022/23

CENTRAL STAGS v NORTHERN DISTRICTS

McLean Park, Napier

11am • Waitangi Day, Monday 6 February 2023

FREE LIVESTREAM

SQUAD

TOM Bruce — captain, Taranaki

DOUG Bracewell — Hawke’s Bay

JOSH Clarkson — Nelson

DANE Cleaver — wicketkeeper, Manawatu

JAYDEN Lennox — Hawke’s Bay

AJAZ Patel — Hawke’s Bay

BRETT Randell

BRAD Schmulian — Hawke’s Bay

BEVAN Small — Manawatu

BEN Smith — Whanganui

RAY Toole — Manawatu

WILL Young — Taranaki

Head Coach: ROB Walter