International cricket coming to Horton Park

Marlborough cricket fans will be treated to more Over-50s cricket next season, only this time there will be an international flavour.

In March, 2024, a quadrangular series of matches will be staged at Blenheim’s Horton Park, featuring Over-50 sides representing New Zealand, Australia, USA and New Zealand A.

The tournament will be played from March 13-18, with each team taking on each other once before a finals round.

Marlborough Cricket Association General Manager Ed Gilhooly said, “This will be a fantastic event for our local cricket community … to host international teams next summer is an exciting prospect we are really looking forward to.”

Horton Park has previously hosted New Zealand Inter-Provincial Tournaments [IPT] at both Over-50s and Over-40s level. The ground is renowned for providing good wickets, with both IPTs featuring several 300-plus scores.

The Quad Series should be very closely-fought. New Zealand and USA both reached the semi-finals of the IMC Over-50s World Cup in Cape Town in March, 2023, and both sides had tight games with Australia in round-robin play.

New Zealand Over-50s Cricket Director Jim Morrison said, “We have a bumper season coming up in 2023/24 … this Quad Series will be the culmination of the season".

Recently-appointed New Zealand Over-50s captain Adil Somani noted that “Australia and USA were very competitive against us at the World Cup” and described the tournament as a “fantastic opportunity.”

Parak Ananta, director of Masters Cricket USA and former captain of the USA Over-50s, is looking forward to playing “good competitive cricket on top-class venues against tough opposition”.

“We had the opportunity to make some wonderful friends from Australia and New Zealand at the World Cup in Cape Town and we are looking forward to more friendships and a lifetime of memories,” he added.

Andrew Knight from Veterans Cricket Australia agreed, saying, “To play in a Quad Series against the USA and New Zealand on some top-class grounds will be a wonderful experience.”

The Quad Series will come at the end of a very busy over-50s season that also includes the national IPT in Queenstown in January and NZ A and NZ B teams competing in the Australian National Championships in December.

The New Zealand A concept started last season, when NZ A and NZ B teams competed in the Australian National Championships, and they have been invited back to the same tournament this year.

Somani emphasised the value of including NZ A, saying, “the inclusion of an NZ A team provides more opportunity for our local players to be exposed at a higher level”.

All three international teams will be looking to finalise their combinations ahead of the IMC Over-50s World Cup, which will be held in Sri Lanka later in 2024.

Australia and the USA will also play other matches in the South Island during their tour.