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Manchester United look close to announcing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager, and he could be set to make his first signing sooner rather than later at Old Trafford.

Man Utd closing in on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointment

The Red Devils’ decision to sack Ruben Amorim after drawing at Leeds United will feel justified in the eyes of many supporters, mainly due to the division his tenure caused and his overall inconsistent record when it came to claiming results.

Darren Fletcher is on board to steady the ship for now and fans will welcome the return of a familiar face. Nevertheless, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s emergence as the favourite to take over as Manchester United caretaker has put the cat among the pigeons.

The 52-year-old is immensely popular both within the walls of Old Trafford and in the media circuit, and the enjoyable nature of his first tenure in charge is bound to provide a lift to a squad who were stifled somewhat by Amorim’s complex system.

Now, the challenge will be trying to finish in the Champions League slots, something that won’t be easy as the Red Devils compete with rivals for players in the transfer market to strengthen their bid for European qualification.

Notoriously, January isn’t an easy time to do business, especially with INEOS keen to pursue responsible financial decisions to ensure Manchester United have a fighting chance of continuing their rebuild under a full-time boss in the summer.

Either way, Solskjaer will be given resources to work with, and he looks to be in the hunt for his first signing of the window once he has his feet under the Old Trafford table.

Man Utd set to submit loan bid for El-Chadaille Bitshiabu

According to L’Equipe, Manchester United could submit a loan-to-buy offer for RB Leipzig defender El-Chadaille Bitshiabu, while he is also on the radar of Bayer Leverkusen and AS Monaco, though the Ligue 1 side would only consider a straight loan swoop.

Suffering hamstring problems this season, the 20-year-old has been restricted to just five appearances across all competitions and may now be set for a move to gain regular minutes over the second half of the campaign.

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Harry Maguire has just returned to selection for Manchester United. However, there is every chance the Red Devils will need cover and competition with Matthijs De Ligt still on the sidelines due to a back issue.

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Loaning in Bitshiabu may be the ideal scenario, representing a try-before-you-buy arrangement that can be made permanent should all parties be happy with the outcome of a move upon the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.

Celtic have now reportedly launched a £2m bid to sign an attacking star who could become the second signing of Wilfried Nancy’s tenure.

Nancy understands Celtic fume after Old Firm

The last thing that Nancy needed was a defeat against Rangers in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park. It’s only ignited the flames of his tenure even further in Scotland and left many questioning when the final straw will arrive.

The Frenchman understood the anger of the fans at full-time, but insisted that Celtic are “really close” to turning things around: “It’s the results. Results. So this is the reality for the moment.

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“But when I say this is the reality, it doesn’t mean that I am a defeatist guy. No. What I mean is we are really close, really, really close, to turn things around. And again, I repeat myself, but I can understand this situation.

“I think that they (fans) were behind us the first half, they pushed us in a good way. And after that… I can understand why they’re disappointed regarding the fact that we had many possibilities to win the game.

“I know that I repeat myself, but it happened in the past also regarding many games. And I think that they really enjoyed the first half. They saw a team, players that they were giving everything with the ball and without the ball.”

His words haven’t stopped rumours from arriving, however, and recent headlines have claimed that Martin O’Neill is ready to make his second return of the season. The veteran manager enjoyed an excellent interim spell and could now get the chance to pick up where he left off in Scotland.

However, that may not be the change that the Bhoys make. Instead, having already signed Julian Araujo on loan from Bournemouth, Celtic have reportedly turned towards another reinforcement for the manager.

Celtic submit £2m bid to sign Jocelin Ta Bi

As reported by Sky Sports Scotland, Celtic have submitted a £2m bid to sign Jocelin Ta Bi from Maccabi Netanya. The winger is currently on loan at another Israeli side, Hapoel Petah Tikva, but they are expecting him to be on the move this month.

Nancy needs attacking reinforcements and Bi would offer him exactly that. Whether the 20-year-old would hit the ground running is another question, though.

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Bi has scored just twice all season in Israel and is showing no sign of the quality needed to step into a Scottish Premiership title race. On paper, he’s very much an unexpected target for Celtic. For £2m, they’ll be hoping to unlock the peak of his powers, however.

Nancy, meanwhile, should be hoping that a number of other targets also emerge this month.

It’s a new year, but Mikel Arteta will be hoping for a continuation of last year’s form as Arsenal march toward the Premier League title, four points clear of second-place Manchester City at the season’s midpoint.

Ending the annual year with an emphatic win over Aston Villa, Arsenal dispelled any fears (or rival hopes) that there had been an erosion of fluency and sharpness in recent weeks, with the Londoners labouring to some of their wins in recent weeks.

But they were wins, and that is a clear marker of a great side. Now, the Gunners have entered the January window with a spring in their step, eyes fixed on titles to crown an intense and exhilarating chapter under Arteta’s wing.

With Manchester City closing in on Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, Arsenal have changed their stance: they are ready to spend this month, with a wide forward on the agenda.

Arsenal plan to sign forward

Gabriel Magalhaes’ goalscoring return against Villa has eased the concerns around defensive depth, with many Arsenal defenders out injured at the moment.

More important is the need for goals. Leandro Trossard is Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League with five goals. Erling Haaland, by comparison, has 19.

With this in mind, the Emirates side are ready to pounce on any opportunities that come their way, and while Semenyo will not ply his trade for his boyhood club, Arsenal’s interest has been confirmed by The Athletic, thus suggesting that a wide forward may still be on the agenda.

This is further corroborated by emerging news concerning Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, who is unsettled at the Santiago Bernabeu, according to Friday’s edition of Spanish paper Sport, via Sport Witness.

The 24-year-old has long been on the Londoners’ radar, and now they are understood to be in pole position alongside Manchester City, both clubs in advanced talks.

With a base market value of £75m, Rodrygo wouldn’t come cheap, but he would certainly be worth it, and with Semenyo creeping toward the Etihad, Arsenal might just spy an opening.

What Rodrygo would bring to Arsenal

Rodrygo has been a mainstay at Real Madrid for some time, but he’s been dwarfed by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in recent years, and at Arsenal, he would find a golden chance to become a superstar on the left flank, especially given that Trossard has entered his thirties.

Arsenal could do a lot worse than sign such a versatile forward, who has posted 70 goals and 55 assists for one of La Liga’s pre-eminent superpowers.

He is, after all, something of a master when it comes to scoring on the biggest stages.

But given his struggles with Real Madrid over the past year, snapping a 32-game scoreless run in December, there’s a sense that Rodrygo needs a change of scenery to remind everyone of his “world-class” ability, as has been stressed in the past by old teammate Luka Modric.

Arsenal have hit the jackpot when striking a similar deal with Los Blancos in the past. Indeed, Mesut Ozil was a special, special playmaker, a cut above his creative rivals in the Premier League when at his best in the Premier League.

The retired German star completed a club-record £42.5m move to the Emirates Stadium in 2013, and he played 254 matches for Arsenal, producing so many assists and winning the FA Cup four times.

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Ozil was stylish and silky on the ball, a genius. He was also a strong and industrious player when on his A-game, hailed by Arsene Wenger as the “complete athlete”, something shared with Rodrygo, whose skill as “probably the talented and most gifted player” in the Spanish capital, according to teammate Jude Bellingham, is supported by strength and a willingness to outwork those around and against him.

It is for this reason that Arsenal must sign the Brazilian. Arteta’s side burst with quality, but they also work hard and selflessly. Rodrygo, who will play in any role designated for him and do so with staunch commitment, could be the perfect addition in this regard.

Rodrygo – Career Stats by Position

Position

Apps

Goals

Assists

Right winger

151

36

33

Left winger

94

23

18

Centre-forward

85

22

8

Attacking midfield

4

–

1

Data via Transfermarkt

For sure, this is a player who has fallen below his level for a while, but he is also one of the most exciting wingers in the world, instrumental in the latest trophy-laden spell in Real Madrid’s long and successful history.

He has established this in Spain, but, as Ozil did, it might take a move to London to help him realise the full scale of his potential and become something talismanic for a team who can still compete for the biggest prizes each and every year.

Given his potential as a 24-year-old, Rodrygo would be a punt worth taking, even at a staggering sum. He’s proven, and he has so much more to give, as Ozil did when making the move way back when.

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Scorecard

	David Nash’s invaluable 96 chivvied Middlesex to 308 on the second day at Lord’s © Getty Images

The weather gods tried to upset play on the second day at Lord’s, but Middlesex scrapped and clawed their way back into the reckoning against Glamorgan. With Tim Murtagh prising out three quick wickets before the close, Glamorgan hobbled to stumps trailing by 223 runs.Murtagh bowled seven lively overs unchanged from the Nursery End in perfect late-afternoon sunshine, finding one to hold its line on Matthew Wood, whose feet were planted. Glamorgan were 0 for 1 and in spite of the seemingly perfect batting conditions, Murtagh and Chris Silverwood were moving the ball prodigously. After clipping two neat fours David Hemp was bowled through the gate by a cracking off-cutter which jarred down the slope, and Gareth Rees – who was earlier struck a nasty blow between the knees – poked tentatively at one which held its line on the off stump.Mike Powell – Glamorgan’s dogfighter – was the first Glamorgan batsman to move his feet noticably and benefitted accordingly, on-driving Murtagh for four past mid-on to alleviate the drought Middlesex’s bowlers had imposed. Together with Jamie Dalrymple, making his Glamorgan debut against his former team-mates, the pair guided their side to relative safety in the dying light.That Murtagh and Silverwood were able to impose such pressure with the ball was down to Middlesex’s gritty determination with the bat. Only ten, turgid overs were possible in between the morning rain but after lunch, Murtagh in particular showed composure and class in his brief but valuable 22. The inconsistent David Harrison was cover-driven for four, and he followed it up with the day’s most elegant off drive to nudge Middlesex past 250.Still, as impressive as Murtagh’s brief innings was, Middlesex were most indebted to David Nash, who resumed on 53. Orthodox is not an adjective often used to describe Middlesex’s wicketkeeper but today, in difficult seaming conditions, he was just that. Using the crease well, he nudged Harrison repeatedly through the leg side and twice back-cut Ryan Watkins – whose energy was admirable, if not so his line and length – for delicate fours, albeit with the impish charm that befits wicketkeeper-batsmen.Nash received good support from Gareth Berg, a Kolpak-qualified South African making his Championship debut, with whom he put on 61 for the sixth wicket. Berg was confident off the back foot, flaying Watkins through extra cover before pulling him through midwicket, but Robert Croft out-thought him on 33 when he bat-padded a cleverly-flighted delivery. Silverwood added a swift and agricultural 16, but Nash was last-man out four short of a deserved hundred when he wellied Alex Wharf to short square-leg. Nevertheless, 308 represented somewhat of a recovery from yesterday’s 198 for 5.As the light drew in Powell survived a very confident appeal for lbw from Steven Finn, Middlesex’s immensely promising 6ft 8in fast bowler, but Glamorgan were spared further loss. Not since 1954 have Glamorgan celebrated a win at Lord’s, and they face an uphill haul if they are to end that 54-year drought over the final two days.

Paul Harris: Kolpak in 2006 but ‘dropped his county like a hot potato’ to play for South Africa © Getty Images

The ECB is clamping down on the burgeoning number of Kolpak players who it believes are turning out for counties without having the correct work permits.Ina report in today’s Daily Telegraph, Simon Briggs says that some Kolpak players have been signed by counties without necessarily meeting the requirement that they have played international cricket or are of first-class standard.A European Union ruling in 2003 made it illegal for a member of one EU state to prevent a person from another, or where that country has a trading relationship with the EU, from working in that country. This loophole has been exploited by players from the West Indies, Zimbabwe but predominantly South Africa.Most counties have taken advantage of the ruling to bolster their squads. Some, like Northamptonshire, have exploited it to the full while only Glamorgan have not done so. Supporters of the scheme claim that it allows players to join counties and go on to qualify for England. Critics say it allows counties to fill sides with what amount to mercenaries who take the cash and run.”With the number of recruitments we are seeing, things are in danger of swaying in the wrong direction,” Ian Smith, vice-president of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, told The Daily Telegraph. “The problem people are those who bypass the system, make a pile of cash, then go home.”Earlier this week Haroon Lorgat, the convener of selectors in South Africa, actually welcomed players signing Kolpak contracts with counties. It “could be to the advantage of SA cricket,” he said. “English conditions provide a good training ground to any player. When someone decides to go the Kolpak route, it does not necessarily mean he is lost to South Africa. Take Paul Harris as an example. He went to England as a Kolpak player but when we selected him for our Test team last season he dropped his county like a hot potato to play for South Africa.”The ECB has tried to give cash incentives for counties not to sign so many Kolpak players, but in the view of Richard Bevan, the PCA’s chief executive, the amounts are not enough to be a big enough incentive to do so.But the paper reports that David Collier, the ECB chief executive, has written to all counties reminding them that all Kolpak players must meet the necessary criteria or they would be in breach of work permit regulations.

Liam Plunkett may have just pushed himself to the top of England’s reserve list © Getty Images

It’s good to have options. It can also be bad for your scalp. A whole lot of head scratching will take place between the end of this Test and the start of third and final one, beginning next week at Trent Bridge, with Liam Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood the cause. Both put in clinical performances on a good day for England; both had to. If, as expected, Steve Harmison recovers sufficiently from injury for the third Test, this match acts as a shoot-out for the two bowlers.Plunkett, 21, and Mahmood, 24, both impressed on a day when England played sensibly and dominated completely, but still seemed to lack the killer intensity we’d grown accustomed to. Plunkett finished with the better figures – 3 for 43 off 12 compared to Mahmood’s 2 for 25 – and he deserved his success.Plunkett will now be wiser to the fluctuating fortunes of Test cricket after Lord’s and this innings. Plunkett spent most of the first Test in a state of near-despair – his line was good, his length was fine but he left his luck in Durham. Today, he took two wickets in his first over – opener Michael Vandort (think Peter Crouch’s height and Simon Jones’ bulk) and danger-man Mahela Jayawardene.”Taking two wickets in my first over was a pleasure having waited for so long at Lord’s to get going,” said Plunkett. “I felt confident going in today and it all came out right. It was nipping around and swinging, so it was good to lose the toss and get the chance to bowl and pick up a few wickets. Throughout my short career, the plan has been just to kiss the pitch and try to get them to nick it through to the keeper. I think everyone bowled pretty well and we’re more than pleased with the day.”A full length was key to Plunkett’s success, and Mahmood took note. At times it was as if Sri Lanka’s batsmen were trying their best to play England’s fielders back into form, with shots that just weren’t there that would have made coach Tom Moody wince, and possibly kick stuff. Mahmood capitalised. Getting the most out of a slow pitch, he again showed the priceless ability to get batsmen scurrying to the shelter of the non-striker’s end.There is, however, only one slot for the next Test. Do the selectors go for Plunkett’s 80mph-an-hour accuracy, or Mahmood’s occasionally erratic pace and bounce? Both have secret weapons – Mahmood’s ability to reverse swing it and Plunkett’s potential as a genuine No. 8 batsman. It’s this batting ability that may see Plunkett retain his place, at least in the short-term. With coach Duncan Fletcher desperate to have a decent batsman to come in after Geraint Jones, Mahmood may struggle while Ashley Giles is still injured.

Sajid Mahmood grabbed two more wickets and has all the qualities to be a long-term option for England © Getty Images

“Hopefully I can have a few more days like this,” says Plunkett. “I felt I did well today but I need to keep on taking wickets to keep in contention for the next Test. If I do that, then the selectors will have a tough job.”The future may belong to Mahmood, however. His height and bounce, his reverse-swing and his apparent fearlessness makes him perfect for England’s top mission – Retaining The Ashes. He also induces excitement from the crowd – something that seems to have been missing from this England side over the last two Tests.Nothing can live up to the Ashes Test at this venue last summer, so it’s unfair to compare. But, despite a commanding performance, there seemed to be a real lack of intensity. Two reasons for this are Harmison’s absence and Flintoff not quite recapturing his stirring form of last summer (his pace has dropped slightly as well).The biggest reason, however, seems to be Monty ‘Python’ Panesar. He is the Jim Carey of the England set-up, the fall-guy who offers comedic respite from the serious drama. His drop off Plunkett was bad enough, but his failure to pick up a ball that was going so slow across the grass that worms could have given it a real run for its money was head-smackingly bad.Watching the ball travelling towards Monty is like watching a loved-one making a drunken fool of themself in front of all of your friends. What the Aussie crowd will do to him is enough to make you shudder. What he’ll do when an Ashes-deciding catch is skied towards him is enough to make you lock yourself in your room until the Australians learn how to be good winners.

Muttiah Muralitharan has rejoined Lancashire to give them a much-needed boost© Getty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, has signed for Lancashire in 2005, although he will only play the first half of the season because of international commitments.Muralitharan played for Lancashire in 1999 and 2001 with spectacular success, snapping up 116 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 15. In 1999 he was voted the Player of the Year by the club’s membership after taking 66 wickets in seven games.”It’s great to have Murali on board again; he is an obvious leader in world cricket and will provide an added edge to the early part of the season,” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s cricket manager, commented.Jack Simmons, the club chairman, added: “I’m highly delighted to have Murali at Lancashire for another season. He must be considered one of the best cricketers to have played the game.”Muralitharan was also chased by other clubs, including Middlesex, but he has retained a fondness for Lancashire after his previous visits and also developed strong friendships there, especially with Andrew Flintoff and Neil Fairbrother, his English agent.Muralitharan will be able to play until mid-July before having to return for a Test series with West Indies and tri-series also involving India in August. Sri Lanka will then tour Bangladesh in September.Several other Sri Lanka cricketers are keen to develop their games in England next summer, including Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who are working with Fairbrother to secure contracts.

New South Wales 9 for 350 decl. and 4 for 299 dec. (Mail 152*, Phelps 62) beat South Australia 129 (Flower 44, Nicholson 5-36) and 495 (Lehmann 237, Manou 130, Higgs 50; MacGill 4-144) by 25 runs
Scorecard

Darren Lehmann: clatterred a stunning 237 but his team fell marginally short of the target © Getty Images

Darren Lehmann’s magnificent 237 – off just 238 balls – wasn’t quite enough as New South Wales held on for a thrilling 25-run victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Needing 521 for victory, South Australia were in the box seat at 4 for 434 midway through the morning, only to lose three wickets – including Lehmann’s – for five in an engrossing passage of play before lunch.Mark Higgs, who contributed two to a partnership of 64 with Lehmann, kept the momentum going after his departure with a fine 50, but when he played on to Matthew Nicholson, it was all over.Predictably, the morning was all about Lehmann’s one-man show, and his intriguing tussle with Stuart MacGill, who he had walloped with disdain the previous afternoon. Resuming on 149 not out, Lehmann raced from 150 to 237 in just 55 deliveries, slamming 14 fours on the way. It was an exhilarating effort that kept South Australia in the hunt to pull off the greatest run chase in first-class history – surpassing the 9 for 513 Central Province made to beat Southern Province at Kandy in Sri Lanka just over six weeks ago.But when Lehmann whacked a MacGill delivery to Steve Waugh at cover, South Australia stuttered. Lehmann trudged off, clearly furious with himself at having left the door ajar for New South Wales. When Michael Miller was leg before to MacGill soon after, and Nicholson trapped John Davison in front, the comeback was complete, with South Australia precariously placed at 6 for 439.Higgs put together useful partnerships with Mark Cleary and Shaun Tait, but they weren’t quite enough to drag South Australia across the line. For New South Wales, MacGill emerged with some credit after his mauling at the hands of Lehmann, finishing with 4 for 144.For New South Wales, the defending champions, the equation is now simple. If Tasmania fail to pick up any points in their final game against Victoria, and New South Wales manage an outright victory against Queensland, they will qualify to take on Victoria in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. For South Australia, only pride will be at stake when they play Western Australia in their final outing. Lehmann can console himself with a seat on the plane to Sri Lanka.

New Zealand are paying the price for their earlier success with the National Bank Series already in the bag.Captain Stephen Fleming said after tonight’s second to last ball thriller won by India by one wicket in Auckland that the New Zealanders had lost their oomph in the field and the bowling disciplines that served the side so well earlier in the series had departed them.He said it wasn’t a conscious thing but he felt the players knowing the series was in the bag had started looking toward the World Cup and that had resulted in a drop-off in performance.The positive to come out of the loss was that it had exposed more players to a last-over bowling situation and that could have benefits in similar circumstances at the World Cup.But he said it was the fielding that was disappointing because it was an area the side prided itself on and it was an area in which it would have to be much more successful if it was to perform well at the World Cup.”We know our fielding has to be top notch to beat sides,” he said.It was similar for the bowlers who, he felt, were in a “holding pattern”.There were disciplines to what the side was attempting to do and the loss of touch was more mental than physical.”We are in danger of losing our momentum,” he said.”There are some signs there that we are coming to the end of a campaign that we have won but we have got to be very sharp in the last game to go 5-2 up. We’re just missing on lines, we’re a little loose with the bat and they are signs that the edge is just off a little,” he said.The side was missing Jacob Oram who had performed a good role for the side with his bowling and who had been a good foil for the bowlers at the other end.”We gifted the game,” he said of New Zealand’s inability to take a fifth win from the series.Fleming had been happy with New Zealand’s score of 199 for nine wickets and said he could probably defend that nine out of 10 times.”We felt that was a very good score on that wicket,” he said.The side had responded well in the last few overs when they crept back into the game, but Fleming said the questions they were asking of themselves was where was the intensity in the previous 40 overs.”That is what we are focusing on now. We can operate pretty well when the team is under pressure, but creating that pressure is the key thing,” he said.

Northern Districts is top of the Shell Trophy table after two rounds of the competition, the only team with a hundred per cent record.An eight wicket victory over Central Districts was completed shortly after lunch on the final day. It was ND’s seventh successive victory in the Shell Trophy.CD resumed this morning on 180 for eight, a lead of 97.Any lingering hopes of victory for CD were ended when the last two wickets managed only two runs between them. The first wicket was the run out of Ewan Thompson following hesitation over a short single, a disastrous start to the day.Needing exactly 100 to win, ND lost two early wickets to left-armer Thompson. Mark Bailey and Neal Parlane remained together for the rest of the innings, Bailey finishing one short of his half century.A note of drama was added at the end, as thunder and lightening appeared around the Taupo area and rain began to fall. It is possible that had Parlane not hit the winning runs when he did, a long delay might have ensued.ND Coach Chris Kuggeleijn was understandably happy with his team’s performance. He cited the performances of Neal Parlane with the bat and Grant Bradburn with the ball as being key to ND’s success, but stressed that it was a good all round team performance.”All the bowlers got wickets and most of the batsmen contributed too.”Kuggeleijn’s only worry was that the thunder and rain would end the game before the win had been sealed.ND’s next Shell Trophy game is against Canterbury in Rangiora. As Kuggeleijn says, “that’ll be a big one.”The decisive passage of the game was CD’s descent from 240 for two to 289 all out on the first day. Kuggeleijn’s judgment that CD left themselves at least seventy short on first innings was proved correct. The visitors wasted the advantage given them by some top class batting by Ben Smith and Mark Douglas, whose 130 was the only century of the match.ND had to fight for its lead, having given away wickets early on. Neal Parlane played a disciplined innings of 89, well supported by Grant Bradburn. Even so, it was left to the resilient ND tail to take the team to a significant lead.CD made heavy work of batting in the second innings, falling exactly a hundred short of coach Dipak Patel’s idea of a fourth innings target that would test the home side.Apart from the batting of Douglas and Smith there were a number of positives for CD to take away from the game. Its young attack stuck to its task well, with off-spinner Haydn Morgan impressive on debut.Ewan Thompson showed himself to be an accurate fast medium bowler who has the ability to bring the ball back into right-handed batsmen. Michael Mason proved that it is an unfair world by bowling superbly for one wicket.The game at Rangiora will be Grant Bradburn’s one hundredth for ND at first class level. Later this season he will expect to break Andy Roberts’ record of 104 appearances. His contributions in this match were typical of his career as a whole; unflashy, understated, but vital.His off-spin slowed CD down when Smith and Douglas were racing away, while his first innings partnership with Neal Parlane was the core of ND’s first innings. Three wickets followed in the second innings.Bradburn takes the unofficial CricInfo MVP award.This has been a fine game of cricket in which Central Districts has shown itself to be a talented young team. But the experience and all round talent of Northern Districts was decisive in the end. It will be hard for any of the other five teams to beat them to the Shell Trophy this season.