The opening weekend of the new franchise-based one-day tournament saw Eastern Beaches comprehensively outplay the Central Knights and the Saddle Hill Steamers hold off North West Suburbs.
New Black Caps opener Tim McIntosh has already had to deal with his first dodgy delivery.
The Otago Nuggets has lost its battle to stay in the National Basketball League after Basketball Otago pulled the cash-strapped franchise out of the league today.
Two of the Otago Nuggets' leading figures were distraught to learn the franchise would not be part of the 2009 National Basketball league.
New Black Caps coach Andy Moles wants his charges to back their ability and show faith in their technique. Cricket writer Adrian Seconi reports.
There is probably more riding on the season for Neil Broom than winning his side bet with team-mate Greg Todd about who will score more runs.
The Otago Nuggets have been granted a stay of execution.
The "Save the Nugs" campaign is gaining momentum, with a family pledging $5000 to the cause over the weekend.
The Otago Sparks will look to their White Ferns trio to anchor their campaign which gets under way with a twenty/20 fixture against Auckland in Alexandra today.
New Black Caps coach Andy Moles would like to see more moisture left in the University Oval pitch for next week's Black Caps-West Indies test.
Otago left-arm seamer Craig Smith has recovered from injury and replaces all-rounder Sam Wells in the squad for the four-day match against Central Districts in Napier tomorrow.
The Black Caps and the West Indies will get their first opportunity to appeal against an umpiring decision when the two sides meet in Dunedin next week.
Former Otago Rebels captain Angela Mitchell is the latest in a long list of players with links to the region to sign with the Canterbury Tactix.
With just nine more sleeps until the Black Caps play the West Indies at the University Oval, preparations have gone into overdrive with the construction of 700 temporary seats getting under way today.
In the past four years the Nuggets have put in some pretty poor performances, but they pale in comparison to the display the Basketball Otago board gave on Wednesday night.
Otago Nuggets assistant coach Gavin Briggs says it will take another $150,000 to save the franchise.
Former Black Cap Craig McMillan can relate to how the English team must be feeling following the terror attacks in Mumbai, India which killed more than 100 people.
The basketball community rallied around the Nuggets and may have pulled off a last-minute buzzer-beater to save the beleaguered franchise.
Basketball New Zealand is not in a position to rescue the cash-strapped Otago Nuggets, chief executive Dale Stephens says.
Otago stretched its unbeaten streak to 10 first-class matches but Canterbury went within seven runs of snatching an outright win in a State Championship match at Queens Park, Invercargill, yesterday.
