For their penultimate away match of the season, the Auckland ACES & HEARTS head to the capital to take on the Wellington Firebirds & Blaze.

Arriving somewhat at a crossroads of the Super Smash season, the outcome of these matches will go some way towards deciding the fate of the two Auckland teams in the competition.

First up the HEARTS square up against the might of the Wellington Blaze who, despite some losses in the recent matches, remain a formidable opponent at home. The HEARTS win against the Hinds in Napier on Wednesday was encouraging and they’ll be further boosted by the prospect of potentially leapfrogging the Blaze at third place on the table.

The only change the HEARTS will make is Brooke Halliday’s omission through injury, meaning Cate Pedersenmay get a shot at taking her place in the middle order, depending on the make-up of the side on the day.

Meanwhile, the ACES find themselves further down the table in the fifth position but are no means out of the competition and will take back fourth place with a win against a resurgent Wellington Firebirds.

All eyes will undoubtedly be on Martin Guptill as he returns to the side after an injury left him out of the losses against the Brave and the Stags. He takes Matt Gibson’s place in the squad.

The turbulence at the top of the table with the seemingly unstoppable Otago Volts being leapfrogged by the Stags in first position will no doubt benefit the ACES as they look to end their losing streak and finish the Super Smash round robin in at least third position.

Both matches are free-to-air on TVNZ+ and Duke with the HEARTS vs. Blaze at 12:40pm and the ACES vs. Firebirds at 4:25pm.
 

Wellington Blaze vs Auckland HEARTS
Monday 20 January | 12:40pm
Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington

Auckland ACES vs. Wellington Firebirds
Monday 20 January | 4:25pm
Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington

Article added: Sunday 19 January 2025