The 2023-24 edition of the Ford Trophy, a prominent List-A domestic cricket tournament in New Zealand, started on Saturday, November 25. Featuring six competitive teams -- Otago Volts, Auckland Aces, Canterbury, Wellington Firebirds, Central Stags, and Northern Districts Men -- the tournament promises intense cricketing action. (Cricket News)
Northern Districts Men won by 28 runs in their opener against Central Stags whereas Otago defeated Aukland by 42 runs. In another clash, Canterbury won by 63 runs against Wellington in Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Saturday when the tournament kick-started.
Last season saw Central Stags clinching the top spot with an impressive record of six victories in 10 games. Their journey culminated in a thrilling final where they secured a six-wicket triumph over Canterbury.
The tournament format comprises 30 league stage matches, followed by an eliminator and the grand final. In a double round-robin format, each team will face the other five sides twice. The team finishing at the pinnacle of the standings post-league matches will secure a direct berth in the final.
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The battle intensifies for the second and third-placed teams, set to engage in the eliminator final on Wednesday, February 21. The victor of this clash will advance to face the top-ranked team in the summit clash on Saturday, February 24.
Since its inception in the 1971-72 season, Canterbury has emerged as the most successful team, boasting an impressive tally of 15 titles. Auckland closely follows with 13 trophies, creating an exciting backdrop for the upcoming Ford Trophy season.
Live Streaming & Telecast Details of Ford Trophy 2023-24:
Where to watch the Ford Trophy 2023-24 live in India?
All the matches of the Ford Trophy 2023-24 will be live-streamed on New Zealand Cricket’s YouTube Channel. However, there will be no live telecast of this competition in India.
Ford Trophy 2023: Full Schedule & Match Timings (All times in IST)
Saturday, 25 November
Otago Volts vs Auckland Aces, Queen's Park - 3:00 AM
Canterbury vs Wellington Firebirds, Hagley Oval - 3:00 AM
Central Stags vs Northern Districts Men, Saxton Oval - 3:00 AM
Sunday, 29 November
Northern Districts Men vs Wellington Firebirds, Seddon Park - 3:00 AM
Auckland Aces vs Otago Volts, Kennards Hire Community Oval - 3:00 AM
Central Stags vs Canterbury, Pukekura Park - 3:00 AM
Sunday, 3 December
Canterbury vs Auckland Aces, Hagley Oval - 3:00 AM
Northern Districts Men vs Otago Volts, Seddon Park - 3:00 AM
Central Stags vs Wellington Firebirds, Fitzherbert Park - 3:00 AM
Thursday, 7 December
Northern Districts Men vs Auckland Aces, Cobham Oval - 3:00 AM
Wellington Firebirds vs Canterbury, Cello Basin Reserve - 3:00 AM
Central Stags vs Otago Volts, Pukekura Park - 3:00 AM
Tuesday, 12 December
Otago Volts vs Canterbury, Queen's Park - 3:00 AM
Northern Districts Men vs Central Stags, Cobham Oval - 3:00 AM
Wednesday, 13 December
Auckland Aces vs Wellington Firebirds, Kennards Hire Community Oval - 3:00 AM
Thursday, 1 February
Auckland Aces vs Northern Districts Men, Kennards Hire Community Oval - 3:00 AM
Friday, 2 February
Wellington Firebirds vs Central Stags, Cello Basin Reserve - 3:00 AM
Canterbury vs Otago Volts, Mainpower Oval - 3:00 AM
Tuesday, 6 February
Wellington Firebirds vs Northern Districts Men, Cello Basin Reserve - 3:00 AM
Otago Volts vs Central Stags, University of Otago Oval - 3:00 AM
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury, Kennards Hire Community Oval - 3:00 AM
Wednesday, 14 February
Otago Volts vs Northern Districts Men, Sir John Davies Oval - 3:00 AM
Canterbury vs Central Stags, Hagley Oval - 3:00 AM
Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces, Cello Basin Reserve - 3:00 AM
Sunday, 18 February
Otago Volts vs Wellington Firebirds, Sir John Davies Oval - 3:00 AM
Northern Districts Men vs Canterbury, Bay Oval - 3:00 AM
Auckland Aces vs Central Stags, Kennards Hire Community Oval - 3:00 AM
Wednesday, 21 February
Eliminator Final: TBC vs TBC, TBC - 3:00 AM
Saturday, 24 February
Final: TBC vs TBC, TBC - 3:00 AM
Ford Trophy 2023-24 squads
Auckland Aces: Adithya Ashok, George Worker, Robert O'Donnell, Simon Keene, William O'Donnell, Harjot Johal, Ryan Harrison, Sean Solia, Cam Fletcher (wicket-keeper), Cole Briggs (wicket-keeper), Quinn Sunde (wicket-keeper), Benjamin Lister, Danru Ferns, Louis Delport, Matthew Gibson, Yahya Zeb
Canterbury: Chad Bowes, Ken McClure, Leo Carter, Matt Boyle, Mitchell Hay (wicket-keeper), Rhys Mariu, Zakary Foulkes, Cole McConchie, Henry Shipley, Michael Rippon, Angus McKenzie, Edward Nuttall, Fraser Sheat, Michael Rae, Sean Davey, William O'Rourke
Central Stags: Greg Hay, Jack Boyle, Tom Bruce, William Clark, Brad Schmulian, Doug Bracewell, Joey Field, Josh Clarkson, Bayley Wiggins (wicket-keeper), Curtis Heaphy (wicket-keeper), Dane Cleaver (wicket-keeper), Ajaz Patel, Brett Randell, Jayden Lennox, Liam Dudding, Ray Toole
Northern Districts: Bharat Popli, Henry Cooper, Jeet Raval, Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Frederick Walker, Joe Walker, Matthew Fisher, Scott Johnston, Tim Pringle, Zak Gibson
Otago Volts: Dale Phillips, Hamish Rutherford, Llew Johnson, Ollie White, Thorn Parkes, Dean Foxcroft, Jacob Cumming, Luke Georgeson, Max Chu (wicket-keeper), Andrew Hazeldine, Ben Lockrose, Jacob Duffy, Jake Gibson, Jarrod McKay, Matthew Bacon, Travis Muller
Wellington Firebirds: James Hartshorn, Jesse Tashkoff, Nick Greenwood, Nick Kelly, Tim Robinson, Troy Johnson, Muhammad Arslan Abbas, Rachin Ravindra, Callum McLachlan (wicket-keeper), Gareth Severin (wicket-keeper), Ben Sears, Ian McPeake, Logan van Beek, Michael Snedden, Nathan Smith, Peter Younghusband
