The Northern Knights have begun the domestic Twenty20 cricket season with a comfortable 24-run win victory over the Otago Volts at Hamilton's Seddon Park.
The Knights made 174 for four, then held the Volts to 150 in the first of a stop-start season of the local game.
The four-day domestic Plunket Shield has only just begun but already the HRV Cup is underway under lights.
New Zealand Cricket's determined to milk the shortest form of the game with 12 matches all televised in the Friday night slot - though the bulk of the Twenty20 matches will still take place during the traditional holiday period, culminating in the final on January the 20th.
In a change from last year, the top three placed sides at the end of the round-robin will now play off for the title - the top seed will advance straight to the final, while second and third compete for the final spot.
As in previous years, the winner of the competition will gain entry to the Champions League Twenty20 competition.
