Central will have atonement on its mind when it hosts the New Zealand domestic one-day final in Napier today.
The Stags will also hope to put on a show against Canterbury to get the home fans digging deep to fill the collection buckets.
Entry is free to the Ford Trophy final at McLean Park but collectors will be out in force to seek donations for the Cyclone Gabrielle relief fund.
The game was supposed to be played at a neutral venue — Queenstown — on February 19 but was postponed and relocated as the Stags’ travel plans had to be cancelled.
Central thus gets home advantage, having qualified top of the table for a second straight year.
But as everyone knows, top qualifier does not always mean champion.
The Stags had their only dud game in the final last summer as they were spanked by the Auckland Aces by eight wickets in a game played with no fans due to pandemic restrictions.
This is a repeat of the 2016 final, the last time Central won the title.
The Stags cut loose on that day at boundary-friendly Pukekura Park to rattle up 405 for six before rolling Canterbury for 256.
Canterbury had a moderate record of four wins, four losses and two abandonments in the round robin before comfortably beating the Otago Volts in the elimination game.
Both teams in the final are without key players due to Black Caps commitments.
That is a particular blow for Canterbury, which might not have expected to be without danger man Chad Bowes.
The classy opener whacked a century in the elimination game but is now tackling Sri Lanka.
Central remains a chance of winning two domestic trophies.
It can also claim the Plunket Shield if it beats Auckland in the final four-day game starting on Saturday.
