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A maiden trip to Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval in the Plunket Shield could be just the tonic for the Northern Knights as they get one final shot at one of New Zealand's oldest trophies.

For the first time in its 109-year history, Plunket Shield cricket is currently gracing the Bay Oval outfield, with the Knights and Canterbury Wizards clashing in the four-day match which started this morning.

Canterbury Wizards bowler Ed Nutall celebrates snaring the wicket of Darryl Mitchell. Photos: Bruce Barnard.

Heading into the final round, the Knights sit just off the pace in third place – behind leaders Canterbury and the Auckland Aces.

However, an outright victory over the Wizards would give the home side a good shot at taking out the 2014/15 competition.

An outright victor in the first-class cricket competition can collect 20 points - 12 from the win, with a maximum four first innings batting points (for 400 runs or more in 110 overs) and a maximum four first-innings bowling points (for nine wickets or more in 110 overs).

Should the Knights reach this target, they'd also need to restrict the visitors to a total of six first-innings points combined with bat and ball.

The Northern Knights last won the four-day competition in 2011/12 after a lean patch stretching back to 2005/06. So far this season they won four of their nine matches with three losses and two draws.

Canterbury are defending champions and a victory in the Mount would see them register back-to-back titles.

Knights batsman Dean Brownlie sits in 10th spot on the leading runs table with 691 so far this season, while veteran seamer Graeme Aldridge is third in the wicket stakes with 36 behind Otago's Jacob Duffy (43) and Canterbury's Todd Astle (41).

Aldridge's teammate James baker is currently 7th with 32.

The Plunket Shield was presented to the New Zealand Cricket Association in 1906 by Baron Plunket, who was the Governor-General of New Zealand at the time.

In the early years, the trophy was competed for by the provincial association sides of Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago, and on two occasions Hawkes Bay.

While Hawkes Bay lost its Major Association status, the (then) newly-formed Central Districts and Northern Districts joined the Plunket Shield competition in the 1950/51 and 1956/57 seasons respectively.

During the 1970s, the NZ Cricket Major Association four-day competition underwent a name change, to reflect commercial sponsors' association with the competition, and the NZ Cricket first class competition continued under sponsor's names until 2009.

In the 2009/10 season, the Plunket Shield was re-introduced as the prize at stake in the four-day competition.

A change of format saw a two round competition introduced, with the winner being the team first past the post at the end of two rounds of round-robin play.

In other matches, the Auckland aces host the Otago Volts and Central Stags take on the Wellington Firebirds in Napier.

This morning the Wizards won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Bay Oval. The Knights are currently 133-4 after 41 overs.

Plunket Shield: April 1-4 at the Bay Oval starting at 10.30am.

Northern Knights v Canterbury Wizards

Plunket Shield Points:

Canterbury Wizards 107, Auckland Aces 97, Northern Knights 94, Otago Volts 92, Wellington Firebirds 89, Central Stags 63.