Central District teams begin their annual Chapple Cup programmes this weekend.

The annual one-day competition begins on Sunday with Horowhenua Kapiti hosting Manawatu, Hawke's Bay hosting Wairarapa, Marlborough hosting Nelson and Taranaki hosting Wanganui.

Next weekend, on Saturday, November 10 at Palmerston North, all four winners will play semi-finals and the losers will play off.

The winners of both winners semis will then play off on Sunday for the Chapple Cup. The winners of the losers' semi-final will play off for the Cave Cup and the losers for the Colquhoun Cups.

At the end of the finals, the State Central Stags for the State Max competition in Auckland the following weekend will be named.

Several points of interest have emerged in the Central programme and will provide the CD selectors with plenty to think about.

Former Auckland batsman Richard King is now living in Hawke's Bay and will play for the side against Wairarapa while another former Aucklander, Richard Scragg, is now living in Taranaki and will open the batting for that side against Wanganui.

Returning to representative play after injuries last season will be Michael Mason, who will play for Manawatu, and Lance Hamilton, who will play for Hawke's Bay.

Mason broke his ankle in a horrific accident in Timaru during a one-day game last season, an injury which still causes team-mates to blanch at the memory of it, while Hamilton didd not play at all last season.

Campbell Furlong has returned from his overseas experience although he is now playing in Taranaki for whom he will play in the Chapple Cup.

Regan West has returned to Taranaki from Wellington while Carl Bulfin's stint in Wellington has ended and he has returned to Marlborough. However he has a slight injury and will not play against Nelson at the weekend.

After the State Max, and a round of Hawke Cup elimination matches on the weekend of November 17-18, a trial/warm-up match will be played in Palmerston North from November 19-21 between two CD teams and the Stags for the State championship will be named after the match for the first round of the series, starting on November 26.

© CricInfo