Hagley Oval to host Super Smash knockouts for men and women

The Hagley Oval in Christchurch is set to host the Super Smash women's and men's elimination and grand finals games for the upcoming season. It means the teams that make it to the last stage will get together for these finals games in the last three days of January, just like it was done at the Basin Reserve in Wellington last season.

New Zealand's domestic T20 competition will kick off on Boxing Day for 32 days and 64 games in all, starting with Northern Brave hosting Auckland's men's and women's teams at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

While announcing the fixtures for the next season, an NZC release stated the 2024-25 season was a "watershed one for Super Smash with TVNZ broadcasts reaching over one million people, along with a record 7.3 million views across Super Smash content on NZC's digital channels."

Tom Bruce, Central Districts captain and Men's Player of the Year last season in the Super Smash spoke of the competitive nature of the season which forced players to constantly evolve.

"You've got BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS scattered across the teams along with plenty of up and coming stars pushing for their chance at the next level," he said. "With only six teams in the competition, you have to constantly be thinking about evolving your game as you often play similar squads a few times a season.

"You're forced to progress your game as individuals and as a team, otherwise players will figure you out pretty quickly. It's also great for players to get used to playing in front of a large crowd and a pretty substantial TV audience too.

"If they can get a taste of playing in that context, then once they make the step up to BLACKCAPS or WHITE FERNS, they already have some invaluable experience playing in that sort of environment."

Suzanne Pearce, executive manager of the Canterbury Cricket Trust which owns and operates the Hagley Oval, was confident Christchurch hosting the finals games would inspire more youngsters.

"We think we have the best ground in New Zealand and it's a huge vote of confidence in the venue, the city and the cricket community here in Christchurch, so we're very pleased," she said.

"Our crowds the past few seasons are testament to how loyal the fans are here. It's a big win, not only for the city but the wider Canterbury region. It's a chance for our fans to see the best players in the country play some awesome cricket and for those young players coming through to be inspired.

"There is something really special about having a world-class international cricket ground in the middle of our city park. You look one way and see the southern alps and see the city and the port hills at the other end."

New Year's Day will see last season's finalists - Canterbury and Central Districts - come face to face again, at the Hagley Oval.

Canterbury will be chasing their first T20 title in 20 years after coming agonisingly close as runners-up in the past five seasons.

The NZC release also said KFC's "6's for Surf" will be back too, with KFC pledging $100 for every six hit, with $38,100 donated to Surf Lifesaving NZ last season.