By Peter Martinez of NZPA

Wellington, Feb 19 NZPA - Auckland and Northern Districts carry a sense of unfinished business into Sunday's national one-day cricket championship final at Colin Maiden Park in Auckland.

Auckland cruised into their second final of the season after beating Northern Districts in last week's preliminary semifinal, and host the final by virtue of topping the table after the regular season.

After a 78-run defeat by Central Districts in last month's national Twenty20 championship final in New Plymouth, victory at home on Sunday would seem like redemption.

Northern beat Auckland twice in the regular season, by two wickets in the first round at Colin Maiden Park and by three wickets in the final round at Whangarei's Cobham Oval.

But having finished second after round-robin play, Northern were stung by last Saturday's eight-wicket loss to Auckland, dismissed for 104 in 32.5 overs batting first.

"Our boys probably lacked desperation and an air of urgency against Auckland and we paid the price dearly for it," Northern Districts coach Grant Bradburn told NZPA.

Four days later, they posted 284 runs batting first in the second-life semifinal against Central Districts and won by 83 runs, a result Bradburn credited with restoration of a winning attitude.

"This final situation is obviously a do-or-die so we fully expect to take that same attitude in for this weekend's game."

None better exemplified that than 19-year-old batsman Kane Williamson, and bowlers Bradley Scott and Anton Devcich, who ripped through Central's batting.

Williamson, who leads the competition's batting with 552 at an average of 78.85, scored 84 runs from 98 balls and shared a solid 112-run partnership with Daniel Flynn for the second wicket.

Williamson has top scored in six of the last seven matches for Northern -- only missing out in the most recent loss to Auckland when he scored one.

Both coaches are dripping with respect for each other's sides, their pre-match mutual admiration reflected in the TAB's odds which barely separate the teams putting Auckland at $1.85 for the win and Northern Districts at $1.95.

Said Bradburn: "We've played them before, beaten them before. We have experience of what we will be playing on (on Colin Maiden Park), the likelihood of their make up for the final and what they do. There'll be no surprises for us."

Said Auckland coach Paul Strang: "They are the defending champions, have a pedigree in this competition and have any number of players who on their day could be the match winners.

"We know about them and conversely they know about us. They are a very good outfit, they got some good batters and a lot of experience there with the two Marshalls (James and Hamish) and good young players.

"Kane Williamson is having a really good season -- they are not a team you write off or take lightly at any length.

"They back it up with good cricket skills, are a good fielding team and bat a long way down. But I feel if we play to our potential it's going to be a very good game."

Both sides will each have a player back from test duty -- Tim McIntosh for Auckland and BJ Watling for Northern Districts.

Auckland have named a 14-man squad with Strang saying this would be trimmed to 13 on the morning of the match with a playing 11 announced once pitch conditions have been assessed on the day.