Cricketers pad up on Saturday

Marlborough senior cricket begins on Saturday, with club competition beginning across two grades.

In a change from previous seasons, when clubs fielded senior, second and third grade sides in separate competitions, this time around players will be split into division one and division two teams. Both competitions will be played on Saturday, beginning with 50-over matches for the div one players and 40-over clashes for div 2 sides.

The four division one sides – Wairau Valley, Wairau, Celtic and Renwick – will play two full rounds culminating in a final on December 2.

There is expected to be five teams in division two, with a final date to be confirmed.

Post-Christmas both the division one and two sides will undertake a 40-over competition which will take them to the end of the season.

Adding to a wide range of playing opportunities for senior players this season is a senior Twenty20 midweek competition, played Wednesday or Friday and beginning in December, as well as a second grade T20 league, beginning mid-November and played on Thursday afternoons. Just four teams will contest the senior T20 this season, the Marlborough Boys’ College players returning to their respective club sides.

There will also be a third grade T20 competition beginning on Friday November 17.

Both the men’s and women’s rep sides will be in action, home and away.

The men, under new head coach Andrew McCaa, will contest the annual Newman Shield match with Nelson in Blenheim on November 5, tackle the same opposition for the MacDonald Cup in a two-day clash at Horton Park on November 18-19 then begin their Hawke Cup campaign, playing Nelson at Saxton Oval on December 9-10, Buller in Westport on December 16-17 then hosting Canterbury Country on January 13-14.

Their season concludes with the annual Chapple Cup tournament in Palmerston North on February 16-18.

The Marlborough women also have a busy schedule.

They take on their Nelson counterparts in Nelson on November 26, meet Wairarapa in Blenheim on December 1, play Taranaki and Manawatu on consecutive days in Masterton on January 13-14, host Manawatu at Horton Park on January 26 and conclude their season with a return fixture against Nelson in Blenheim on March 3.

A late highlight on the Marlborough cricketing calendar is the International over-50s quad series, which will be staged in Blenheim from March 13-18.

Junior cricket begins on Saturday, November 4.

Emerging players game curtailed

On Sunday, the Marlborough Emerging Players side took on their Nelson counterparts in a match which was abbreviated by the rain.

On the Horton Park number one wicket Marlborough batted first, reaching 113-6 from 35 overs before the weather turned nasty.

Top scorers were Hunter Ruffell with 27, Luke Holdway, 22 not out, Jaden Adams, 20, and opener Sukh Aulakh with 18.

Club squads 2024-24:

Celtic (from): Tom Sutherland (captain), Josh Poole, Matt McCormick, Logan Robinson, Liam Young, Jared Stewart, Jaden Adams, Luke Holdaway, Ben Holdaway, Jack Holdaway, Greg Knowles, Tom Sloan, Joel Logan, Aiden Conroy, James Croker, Ben Blackman.

Wairau Valley (from): Sam Boyce (captain), Greg Stretch, Luke Pannell, Matthew Stretch, Harry Campbell, Danny Knox, Jordan Alford, Sukh Aulakh, Lachy MacNeil, Jethro Moran, Patrick Wilkins, Eddie Swan, Mark Gear, Michael Dillon, Tim Abrahams, Ben Ivory-McCullum, Liam George.

Renwick (from) : Luke Frankland (captain), Keiran Gaudin (vice captain), Kirk Nicholas, Corey Bovey, Rikki Bovey, Piers Landon-Lane, Tim May, Mike Anstis, Joe Timms, Blair Timms, Max Armstrong, Mark Zillwood, Cody Golding, Richard O’Shaunessy, Eden Pettigrew, Nathan Brook-Taylor, Archie Cornelius, Daniel Karena.

Wairau squad (from): Nick Weaver, Tarin Mason, Chris Turkington, Andrew McCaa, Colin Wood, Hunter Ruffell, Griffin Carter, Harry Boyce, Josh Alexander, Carter Aitken, Baxter Croad.

On Saturday the four division one 50-over competition teams meet at Horton Park, Wairau playing Wairau Valley and Celtic meeting Renwick. Play begins at 11.30am.

In the division two 40-over games at Oliver Park, clubmates Celtic Green and Celtic Gold meet, while Wairau take on Wairau Valley, with Renwick having a bye. Play starts at 12.30pm.