The Shell Trophy is going right down to the wire with two of the leading contenders, Northern Districts and Otago, beginning their penultimate-round confrontation at in Hamilton with just four points separating them.

Otago, coming off their high-scoring draw with Wellington, did not add to their 22 points, dropping to third on the table as Northern leap-frogged them with their close-fought outright from this week's match with Canterbury in Whangarei.

That result puts the home side level with Wellington on 26 at the top of the table and leaves both sides in the Hamilton match keen to take maximum points.

The WestpacTrust Park pitch will be of considerable interest in the wake of the demolition job executed on Wellington early this month by Daryl Tuffey and Joseph Yovich as the team from the capital lost 20 wickets in one day and tumbled to an innings defeat inside two.

Tuffey will not be present this time, needed for international duty, but Yovich will be there and he could be joined by the young debutant medium pacer Simon Andrews, brought into the line-up at the expense of the left-arm spinner Bruce Martin.

The Northern 12 are: Robbie Hart (captain), James Marshall, Michael Parlane, Mark Bailey, Hamish Marshall, Grant Bradburn, Matthew Hart, Joseph Yovich, Simon Doull, Graeme Aldridge, Simon Andrews and Alex Tait.

Otago go in with two changes from the squad that was in Wellington.

Kerry Walmsley returns, replacing Nathan McCullum, and Duncan Drew comes in for his first match, taking up the gloves relinquished by an injured Martyn Croy.

The team are: Matt Horne, Craig Cumming, Chris Gaffaney, Andrew Hore, Craig Pryor, Mark Richardson, David Sewell, Kerry Walmsley, Paul Wiseman, Karl O'Dowda, Bradley Scott and Duncan Drew.

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