The domestic Twenty/20 cricket began in earnest yesterday afternoon with all six teams in action in the opening round of the HRV Cup.
Northern Districts beat Canterbury in Rangiora by 5 runs to claim the first victory of the Twenty/20 season before wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder smacked a six off the final ball to snatch a thrilling win for Otago over Central Districts in Dunedin.
The Volts won the match by four wickets at University Oval after de Boorder deposited a short wide ball from Graham Napier over the boundary at square leg to see his side overtake the Stags' 158 for 7.
Auckland sealed the result they wanted despite their match against Wellington being a reduced affair due to rain.
By the time the contest started at Colin Maiden Park it had been cut to a 12 overs per side game.
The defending champion Aces prevailed by 10 runs after scoring 116 for five and restricting the Firebirds to 106 for seven.
