The teams may say otherwise but it is hard to imagine Auckland and Wellington going into their final State Championship match believing anything other than that the hosts only have to turn the key to lock the 2001/02 silverware away in their trophy cabinet.

It could so easily have been otherwise. The one-off final for the four-day competition may have been dropped but the efforts of Auckland and Wellington to lift themselves clear of the rest of the field coupled with a schedule that brought the two teams together in the last round looked to be guaranteeing a de facto final.

However, Central Districts put an end to that delectable scenario. In the penultimate round, Wellington failed to produce the Houdini act that had stood them in such good stead when they looked in danger of crumbling in previous matches. Having gained no points at Napier while Auckland undid Canterbury in Christchurch, the best Wellington can do now is tie the Championship, all the time knowing that those close calls - albeit winning ones - have left them with an average net runs per wicket rate far behind Auckland's.

As the hosts go into this match at Colin Maiden Park (the rugby season having already ejected cricket from Eden Park Outer Oval) with a 6.669 differential against Wellington's 2.574, both teams can reflect that this Championship has not just been about winning but winning well. And, for Wellington to achieve a clean-sweep of the summer trophies, they will have to produce a performance of Nathan Astle proportions - and they do not come around too often.

Even if the tantalising prospect of a final has in effect disappeared, both sides will be intent on proving plenty while the prospect of national call-ups adds spice to the individual contests as such aspirants Rob Nicol, Andre Adams, Brooke Walker, Matthew Bell, Chris Nevin and James Franklin look to their futures.

Auckland had planned to keep the team that pulled themselves back into the match against Canterbury but the debutant Bradley Nielsen injured the webbing between his fingers and had to be replaced by Matt Cairns.

The teams are:

Auckland: Brooke Walker (captain), Tim McIntosh, Reece Young, Nick Horsley, Llorne Howell, Tama Canning, Rob Nicol, Andre Adams, Matt Cairns, Sanjeewa Silva, Gareth Shaw and Rob Lynch.

Wellington: Matthew Bell (captain), Richard Jones, Luke Woodcock, Leighton Morgan, Grant Donaldson, Matthew Walker (subject to fitness test), James Franklin, Chris Nevin, Andrew Penn, Mark Jefferson, Jeetan Patel and Iain O'Brien.

© CricInfo