Young cricketers gain rep experience

The formation of three primary school boys rep cricket teams this season signals the arrival of the next generation of Marlborough cricketers, according to former senior rep coach Jarrod Englefield.

“A few years ago, there was one primary school boys rep team, but a group of us have worked hard to widen the player pool with development sessions and trial games, resulting in the naming of squads before final selection into these three Marlborough rep and development teams,” said Jarrod.

“It is the new movement of Marlborough cricket, which we are working hard to filter through to year nine+ rep cricket and then ultimately to the senior men’s and senior women’s rep sides … we’re working overtime underneath to build a strong foundation for the future,” he added.

Jarrod was involved with one of the two Marlborough PS boys’ sides which took their skills down south from January 5-8. He and Kyle Heagney coached the Marlborough Maroon side which enjoyed a successful Tier 1 competition in Timaru.

After competing hard, but only managing one win from three games in the T20 phase the mighty Maroons changed gears and showed their full potential by winning both 40-over games - firstly against arch rivals Nelson (251 runs vs 99 runs) and then against a strong Canterbury Red Metro combination.

All the team contributed towards the team’s performance at some stage during the festival, but a few players came up with special moments. Ned Bell scored 62 not out off 52 balls v Nelson, Josh Gleeson put together 44 off 62 balls v Canterbury Red), Freddie Heagney turned in a top all-round performance throughout the festival with some amazing catches at point (six in total), Ryan Batty produced a fine all round performance v Nelson (28 off 26 & 2 for 9 off 4 overs) and Julian Englefield’s 3 for 11 off 8 overs contributed strongly to the win over Canterbury Red.

Meanwhile, the Marlborough Yellow boys side, coached by Tim May and Keiran Gaudin, were in unbeatable form at the Tier 3 festival in Mandeville.

They had an exceptional tournament winning seven from seven T20 matches against Canterbury Country, Christchurch Metro and Buller opposition, finishing first on the ladder.

The boys followed a similar template for each game, generally batting first and accumulating runs well in the first 10 overs without losing wickets before accelerating in the last 10 to compile good scores in each innings. The bowling and fielding effort was then top notch throughout, closing out a couple of tight games, and maintaining bowling accuracy and fielding standards throughout.

All the boys performed exceptionally well, with key contributions shared across the team. Special mention to Will Dunne for notching 50 against Buller and Ollie Gaudin for 132 runs across the tournament. Highlights were how the boys batted with a ‘team first’ mentality, ran hard between the wickets, and were significantly better in the field than each team they played against.

Tim said, “the performances of the PS boys against top regional opposition bodes well for the future of Marlborough cricket”.

Last week the third PS boys’ side, Marlborough White, was in action, also in Mandeville at the Year 6 festival.

Coached by Jarrod Dunn and Josh Harrison, they won their first four T20 matches, batting first in each game and setting competitive totals that they defended with discipline and determination. In their final match, a 30-over game, the White team suffered a narrow defeat despite an excellent bowling performance that restricted the opposition to just 110 runs.

All players made valuable contributions, with several standout performances in key moments. Chase O’Hagan showed great composure at the death, bowling the final two overs against Canterbury and conceding only nine runs while also claiming a wicket. Noah Harrison was outstanding with the ball, taking four wickets for 1 run from nine deliveries. George Laugesen was a consistent force with the bat, amassing an impressive 100 runs across the five games.

For the first time, Marlborough sent two primary school girls’ sides south to the Christchurch Girls Invitational tournament.

The Marlborough Maroon side was coached by Jonathon Davis, while the Marlborough Yellow combination was coached by Carly Englefield.

The Maroon team played four T20 games at the festival against Christchurch, Canterbury Country and West Coast teams, recording one win.

After a solid first effort against a very strong Canterbury Country side, the team grew in confidence. In their fourth game the team achieved a decisive win against West Coast, chasing down their total of 79 runs in 10 only overs. Their final match, against Southland, was rained out.

Every player contributed across the festival, with special mention to Ruby Jones, who top scored with 62 runs across the festival, including 24 off 26 balls in the first game, Sophia Fitzpatrick who scored a total of 50 runs, including 24 off 22 balls to help win the game against West Coast, Rosie Patchett, who was top wicket-taker with six wickets, including three against Canterbury Country White, Evi Englefield, who took three wickets across the festival, and Ishana Massey and Scarlett Davis who both took two.

The Yellow team played against strong Southland, Canterbury Country, Otago and Christchurch teams.

While they did not record a win, features of the games were teamwork and enjoyment. There were several very strong individual performances. Cora Wilson top scored with 84 runs, including 32 not out off 25 balls against Otago, Nalla Crawford, who scored 34 across the festival, including 17 against Canterbury Country Black, and was top wicket taker with four wickets, Cora, Roohi Patel and Florence Spencer all took three wickets while Harper Boon and Laura Grigg both claimed two.