Can Auckland upset the pecking order?

Eyes will be focused on Plunket Shield matches at opposite ends of the country as leaders Wellington take on the Otago Volts in Dunedin from tomorrow, while secondplaced Central Stags will try to leapfrog Wellington when they play the Auckland Aces from today.

Wellington and Central have created a buffer between them and the rest of the competition, although if the Aces grab a win at Eden Park Outer Oval, they could be in the title hunt.

Lose, and only Wellington and Central will realistically be in the running over the final three rounds.

Wellington’s in the box seat heading into the seventh round, coming off an extended break thanks to their win inside two days at Canterbury, and their match being delayed by Wednesday’s international at University Oval.

Otago will hope to put up strong resistance to the competition leaders, but have had only one redball win in six attempts.

Should Otago defend their home turf, Central will look to move to the top of the Plunket Shield with a win over third-placed Auckland.

The Stags are at almost full strength, and head into the Auckland game unbeaten through six rounds.

Auckland – 15 points back from Central in third place – are the only side with any real hope of overtaking the top two. Winning at Eden Park Outer Oval would be a fine start.