Five players will make their debut and Hawke Cup places will be on the line in a representative cricket match in Oamaru this weekend.
North Otago host Canterbury Country at Miner Park in a two-day match starting tomorrow morning.
Rain ruined North Otago's first pre-season game two weeks ago, meaning the clash with Canterbury Country has assumed greater importance ahead of the opening Hawke Cup fixture against Central Otago in Oamaru on November 24 and 25.
North Otago's batting line-up looks reasonably settled but there is real competition for places in the bowling attack, a fact that which should motivate those selected to play this weekend.
Schoolboy fast bowlers Michael Walding and Craig Smith, Waitaki Boys' High School batsman Scott Simpson, fringe Otago leg-spinner Richard Quirk and Union top-order batsman Dwayne Turnbull will play their first senior game for North Otago tomorrow.
Leading bowler David Sewell is unavailable because of Otago Max commitments, while spinners Tim Geeves and Shiruban Pasupati, pace bowler James McMillan and opening batsman Chris Cunningham are also unavailable.
The North Otago players will go into the game relatively underdone, with the inclement weather having forced the cancellation of the last two days of Borton Cup club cricket.
North Otago captain Mark Wilson said the match was an invaluable opportunity to measure up against a former Hawke Cup holder.
Canterbury Country pose a formidable challenge, even with the unavailability of Canterbury representatives Brad Doody and Peter Fulton.
In the corresponding fixture last summer, Canterbury Country beat North Otago by two wickets in Rangiora.
Wilson said North Otago had been training hard to compensate for the lack of cricket recently, and he was excited by the prospect of new young players showing what they were capable of this weekend.
The match between North Otago and Canterbury Country starts at Milner Park tomorrow at 10.30am.
Short Scorecard(s)
Representative - Friendly -
Canterbury Country vs North Otago at Milner Park, Oamaru
North Otago 149 ( D.C. Gard 33, G.R. Cameron 28, D. Turnbull 23, N.W. Rushton 19, D.J. Drew 11, Kennett 3-15, Murphy 3-36 ) & 199-3dec ( D.J. Drew 98, D.C. Gard 41, G.J. Billcliff 28no, D. Turnbull 22no, Barclay 2-65 )
Canterbury Country 102-3dec ( S. Edwards 43, N. Jones 18, H. James 15no, C.M. Smith 3-27 ) & 209-6 ( H. James 112no, P. Rugg 38no, C. Lelliot 25, D. Barclay 19, C.M. Smith 3-26 )
First innings win to North Otago
Full scorecard for the match