After Canterbury beat Wellington in Match 11 of the Ford Trophy, we now switch our focus back to Match 2 which was rescheduled due to a wet outfield at the Colin Maiden Park. Auckland Aces will take on Northern District at Seddon Park on December 10 at 3:30 AM IST. Having just lost to Northern District on December 8 at the same venue, Auckland will want to exact their revenge when the two teams meet again.

Bet on Ford Trophy

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Chance of Winning

The loss against Northern District has made things incredibly difficult for Auckland as they have now played three games and are without a point. With just seven games left in the tournament, they will need to get going as soon as possible if they want to have any chance of retaining their title. Auckland have back to back games against the red hot Central District coming up after this one so a win here will do wonders for their confidence.

After winning their first game against Canterbury, Northern District were handed their first loss of the season by Wellington leaving them stranded towards the bottom half of the table. However, they did incredibly well to fight till the end and secure a win against Auckland in the last game to boost their chances of advancing in the tournament. Another win against the same opponent will see them leapfrog two teams to land second on the table with four games played.

Despite the win for Northern District the last match, the bookmakers have decided to hand even odds for both teams so far. The 1.9 odds that Melbet has issued for both Auckland and Northern District means that both teams have implied odds of 52.63% each.

Our Prediction

Having won the last game in a tightly contested affair, Northern District would have expected to be named favorites for the game but it is not as straight-forward. Auckland came from the depths of despair last season to win the entire tournament so they cannot be ruled out just yet. However, it is very difficult to bet against Northern District to take this win as well. This has not been a very good matchup for Auckland for a while now as they have lost five of the last six matches between the sides

• Auckland Aces to win @ 1.90 (Melbet)
• Northern District to win @ 1.90 (Melbet)

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

Following their bad start to the previous campaign of the Ford Trophy, Auckland Aces dominated the fag end of the tournament winning seven of their last eight games and walking away as the winners of the Ford Trophy. With two postponed fixtures to kick off their title defence, Auckland got their campaign against Otago. An unimpressive performance with the bat, where they scored a mere 187 in the first innings, they were handed a six wicket defeat.

There appeared to be no end to their batting woes as they managed to a score of 162 in their second game against Canterbury which culminated in their second loss. In their third game, they came up against an inspired Neil Wagner who ran through the team ending with figures of 5/31 in just 8.5 overs. For the third time this season, Auckland failed to go past 200 and even though their bowlers made a game out of it, Northern District walked away with the points after a two wicket win.

Northern District, on the other hand, had a watch from the sidelines as four of their ten games were washed out and all they could muster was 18 points during the 2021-22 Ford Trophy campaign. This year it feels like they have put things together quite nicely. A win against Canterbury in the opener was followed by a loss to Wellington as a 99-ball 105 by Rachin Ravindra put the game beyond Northern District. In the last game against Auckland, the bowling bounced back with style bowling out their opponents for just 186 runs. While the batting unit did struggle, Joe Carter’s fighting half century got them close before Scott Kuggeleijn sealed a well deserved two wicket win.

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Match Toss Prediction

Playing at Seddon Park, Northern District have now lost all three tosses. Every single time the opposition decided to bat first. While Wellington were able to walk away with the points thanks to their 270 runs in the first innings, Canterbury and Auckland were bundled out for less than 200. On both occasions, Northern District were able to seal the win - albeit in close encounters. Surprisingly, last season only one game was played at the venue in the Ford Trophy after three games were washed out. In the match, Canterbury, after winning the toss, decided to field first and won the game.

Weather Report

How we got a full quota of overs in the last match at Seddon Park is beyond me. The prediction was for 70% rain but somehow the Rain Gods were kind to us. In this match, we are expected to get better weather as compared to a couple of days ago. The minimum temperature in Hamilton is expected to be 15C while the maximum is going to be around 20C. However, according to worldweatheronline.com there is between 60-80% precipitation during the game. Even though there will be disruption, it is very likely that we will get a result out of this one.

Auckland Aces Player List

Auckland Squad for Northern Districts match:

A Ashok, MS Chapman, LJ Delport, DK Ferns, RD Harrison, BJ Horne, SB Keene, BJ Lister, RR O’Donnell (c), WT O’Donnell, SM Solia, GH Worker

Auckland Aces Predicted XI

George Worker	All-rounder
Sean Solia	All-rounder
William O'Donnell	Batter
Mark Chapman	All-rounder
Robert O'Donnell	Captain and batter
Ryan Harrison	All-rounder
Ben Horne	Wicket-keeper batter
Adithya Ashok	Bowler
Louis Delport	Bowler
Danru Ferns	Bowler
Benjamin Lister	Bowler

Auckland Aces Team Form

Three losses in a row is not a good statistic for any team in the world. When you are the defending champions, it looks even worse. The loss against Otago, by six wickets, was the start of a bad run of results as Canterbury thrashed them by eight wickets to put them in a host of trouble. While their bowlers tried to keep them in the game against Northern District, it was a step too far to defend 186.

Northern District Player List

Northern Districts squad for Auckland match:

Katane Clarke, Tim Seifert, Jeet Raval (c), Bharat Popli, Henry Cooper, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kristian Clarke, Neil Wagner, Tim Pringle, Peter Drysdale, Scott Johnson

Northern District Predicted XI:

Katene Clarke	Batter
Tim Seifert	Wicket-keeper batter
Jeet Raval	Captain and Batter
Bharat Popli	Batter
Henry Cooper	Batter
Brett Hampton	All-rounder
Scott Kuggeleijn	All-rounder
Tim Pringle	Bowler
Peter Drysdale	Bowler
Neil Wagner	Bowler
Kristian Clarke	Bowler

Northern District Team Form

The win in their first game against Canterbury was quickly followed by a loss against Wellington. While that could have created an issue for a lot of teams, Northern District bounced back with a two wicket win against Auckland. Now, they have put themselves in a great position as a win in this game would take them over both Wellington and Central District.

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Head to Head

The two teams have faced off 78 times in the past including the latest game a couple of days ago. Despite the loss, Auckland still hold the bragging rights for the better winning record between having won 41 head to head fixtures. While Northern District are still five wins from levelling the scores with 36 wins, they have dominated in recent matches. The latest win against Auckland has ensured that Northern District have won five of the last six head to head fixtures between the sides.

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Betting Odds

Northern District to hit more fours

While the two teams might have split the 34 fours that were hit in the last match, taking a punt on Northern District to outscore their opponents in this market, is a good bet. Auckland have managed to hit a combined 47 fours in the three matches so far while Northern District have scored 45. The reason for punting on Northern District is that they were able to score just 12 boundaries against Canterbury in under 17 overs due to rain playing spoilsport. As far as the bowling unit is concerned, Northern District concede under fours a game (15, 21, and 17) while Auckland have conceded at an average of over 18 a game. In the head to head match against each other, they might have shared the spoils but when they played against Canterbury, Auckland conceded 23 as compared to Northern District’s 15.

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Top Team Batsmen

Ryan Harrison to be Auckland Aces’ top batsman

For a team that has not been able to put runs on the board, this is a tricky bet to place. In all honesty there are only three players who should be considered for this market - George Worker, William O'Donnell, and Ryan Harrison. However, it is the third one who we would suggest for the fact that Seddon Park is one of the most difficult place to bat for a top order batsman. The fact that Harrison top scored for his side with a well made 45 definitely adds value to the argument.

Joe Carter to be Northern District’s top batter

On a wicket that appears to be a graveyard for top order batsmen, it is very difficult to make a case for Katene Clarke. Jeet Raval’s experience might help him as well but in all honesty, Joe Carter is the only legitimate pick here. He was the only player in the previous head to head to be able to cross the 50-run mark.

Auckland Aces vs Northern District Top Team Bowlers

Adithya Ashok to be Auckland Aces’ top bowler

While the batting unit been sub par to say the least in this edition of the Ford Trophy, the Auckland bowling department has been quite impressive. Adithya Ashok has been the standout performer for the side and had the joint highest wickets in the last game as well. What stood out though was his economy as he conceded just 3.40. He finished last season with 11 wickets in just eight games and has grown from strength to strength this year.

Kristian Clarke to be Northern District’s top bowler

This might look like a surprising pick considering the fact that Wagner claimed a fifer two days ago. However, that was because Kristian Clarke has been dropped/rested with Tim Southee replacing him. The veteran has not been named in the squad for this match which would mean that Clarke is right back into the team. He has already taken eight wickets in two games in the Ford Trophy and should have a field day with the conditions on offer at Seddon Park.