Otago Country has won the right to play North Otago in Oamaru this weekend in a Hawke Cup challenge after an appeal from Southland was thrown out.
Otago Country had finished tied with Southland at the top of the Hawke Cup southern zone standings but the Country side qualified top as it defeated Southland on the first innings.
However, Southland appealed as it felt it should have been awarded full points from its game against North Otago before Christmas.
North Otago had played Otago batsman Darren Broom and Southland believed he was ineligible for the match, and thus the southern side should have been awarded full points.
It appealed to New Zealand Cricket shortly after the game was played but NZC waited until yesterday to throw out the appeal.
Otago Country Cricket Association chairman Malcolm Jones said he was always pretty confident the initial result would stand and the appeal would be thrown out.
Otago Country has named its side for the three-day challenge starting on Friday morning in Oamaru.
The side has a reasonably settled look to it although bowlers Sam Blakely and Russell Nevill are unavailable.
Blakely has an injured back while Nevill has family commitments.
They have been replaced by Cameron Rutherford and Mark Knox and Queenstown left-arm bowler Sean Windle has been added to the squad.
Otago Country has won the Hawke Cup - although the trophy was not known as that name at the time - once before, in the mid 1990s.
Otago Country team to play North Otago: Brendan Domigan (captain), Jarred Andrew, Peter Breen, Michael Collins, Daniel Ford,Bradley Frost, Mark Knox, Cromwell, James Pyle, Cameron Rutherford, Eric Standfield, Sean Windle, Fraser Wilson.
