Northern Districts and Canterbury, tomorrow's Shell Cup eighth-round combatants at Cobham Oval, Whangarei, have suffered contrasting fortunes this season but both come to this match off solid wins.

Northern Districts have a firm hold on the top of the Shell Cup table, their 11 points placing them four clear of the three teams holding second position.

Those luckless three, Auckland, Central Districts and Otago, courtesy of last-round losses have been left stuck on seven points, allowing Northern to skip clear and Canterbury to drag themselves to within a point of a place among the all-important top three.

That Canterbury are better than their two-win, three-loss, two-no result record is evident in their maintaining a run rate second only to Otago and almost identical to table-leading Northern. With national representatives Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Chris Harris and Chris Martin on domestic duty backed up by Gary Stead, thought by many of the red-and-black persuasion to have a legitimate claim to reintroduction to international play, Canterbury have the power to maintain their momentum.

The Canterbury 12 are Brad Doody, Astle, McMillan, Harris, Stead, Aaron Redmond, Marcel McKenzie, Gareth Hopkins, Stephen Cunis, Carl Anderson, Ryan Burson and Martin.

Daniel Vettori's two for 33 off eight overs in the win against Otago signalled a welcome return to a Northern side that has not allowed his absence to affect their Cup progress. Northern have added Scott Styris to the squad in place of Graeme Aldridge. With one or the other of the Marshall twins usually picking up runs, the ever-green Grant Bradburn in form with bat and ball and Mark Bailey's timely contribution of 67 to the effort against Otago, they have a solid batting line-up with which to counter the Canterbury stars.

The Northern 12 are Vettori, Simon Doull, Bailey, Neal Parlane, James Marshall, Hamish Marshall, Bradburn, Joseph Yovich, Robbie Hart, Alex Tait, Daryl Tuffey and Scott Styris.

In this one, Northern have the home advantage; Canterbury the bigger need to win. For all the size of the gap between the two teams on the table, this match has the makings of a close battle.

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