Christchurch Boys’ High School have won the National cricket title four times in the last five years and with nine titles overall they have claimed the crown more times than any other school.

Christchurch Boys’ has produced some of New Zealand’s great cricketers including, Sir Richard Hadlee, Chris Martin and Corey Anderson. Fraser Sheat from last year’s First XI has already played first class cricket for Canterbury.

Christchurch has six returning players from last year’s championship winning team. This year the squad features nine Year 13 boys. Below the team last year.

Coach Mark Lane also coached the Christchurch First XI hockey team to the Rankin Cup final in September. Lane shares some insights into developing a winning culture.

“I believe consistency is the key to success. You have to start well and maintain a high level of performance to come out on top at the end of the week. The strength of our squad this year has been depth. We have had 14 players battling for 12 spaces. There is good competition in the squad and this means we have been able to demand a high level of commitment and performance from the boys.”

Squad

Coaches: Mark Lane and Matt Parr

Players: Ben Hartland (C), Ted Whelan, Henry Workman, Louie Chapman, Simon Yorston, Mitchell Hay, Jack Harris, Archie Redfern, Olly Lewis, Josh Mariu, Callum Cameron, Oscar Redfern, Will Smith, Charlie Sidey

2017 Honours

Christchurch won the local Premier 1st XI one day competition last week beating St Andrews College in the final. To reach Nationals, there is a knockout competition in the Canterbury region where the top four teams are decided in Term one. In term four, Christchurch beat St Bede’s College and St Andrews College to reach the Nationals.

Multiple Codes

Ben Hartland – 1st XI hockey
Louie Chapman – 1st XV rugby
Simon Yorston – 1st XI hockey
Olly Lewis – 1st XV rugby

This profile is in association with the Association of Boys' Schools New Zealand. More details here

“We might not have the best players, but we always seem to make it work,” Zakk Finlay asserts when attempting to explain the success of Rosmini College sporting teams.

Despite being smaller than many of their rivals, Rosmini are the National basketball champions and local First XV rugby and First XI cricket title holders.

In April, Rosmini stunned Saint Kentigern College in the final of RH Marryatt Cup to qualify for the First XI National cricket finals in Palmerston North for the first time.

Rosmini haven’t shown that kind of form in the early part of this season, beaten heavily by Saint Kentigern College and Westlake Boys’ High School. Can Rosmini arrest their form slump?

“Absolutely. I think St Kent’s and Westlake we’re pretty determined to show they are better than us after what happened in April, and maybe they are, but we don’t care because we’re headed to Nationals. We hit some form on Saturday against King’s. We made 270-odd and have King’s 50 for 5 after day one of a two-dayer,” Finlay responds.

Finlay and Ryan Harrison have been absent from Rosmini’s roster. Both boys trialled for a place with the Auckland Under-19 team. The National Under-19 tournament is at the same time as the secondary schools finals. Harrison has been picked for Auckland while Finlay is a non-travelling reserve. Harrison’s non-attendance in the Manawatu will hurt Rosmini.

“Ryan’s our best bowler so not having him will be big, but we have a strong pace attack and a good off spinner. Bowling is our strength and I’m confident the boys can fire without Ryan,” Finlay says.

The Rosmini squad for the Auckland final was: Ryan Harrison, Zakk Finlay, Tom Barham, Niko Weerakoon, Seamus O’Reilly, Giles La Ville, Finn Delaney, Luke Buxton, George Brajkovich, Daniel Winter, Cameron Lowry, Jacob Edmonds and Daniel Windelburn.

The team is fully healthy. La Ville and Weerakoon are a particularly fine pair of bowlers, while Edmonds is often a source of big runs with the bat.

Finlay has recovered from a broken hand in the winter and believes Rosmini’s slow start to the summer is not entirely dissimilar to the fortunes of the First XV of which he was a member.

“At the start of the season we couldn’t win a scrum or a lineout, but if you looked at us at the end of the season, you wouldn’t have believed were the same team. The brotherhood is strong at Rosmini and were not going to Palmerston North to make up the numbers,” he warns.

Finlay has already played for the Takapuna Premier men’s team. In 2018, Finlay will shift to Wellington and intends to study commerce at Victoria University.
​
The National First XI cricket finals are in Palmerston North from December 4-8.

This article published in partnership with the Association of Boys' Schools New Zealand at ​absnz.org.nz/

Otago Boys’ High School was third at the National First XI cricket tournament last year and return to the 2017 finals in Palmerston North in the first week of December with a reasonably young team, compared to previous years.  Six of the players return in 2018, but most have played some age-group representative cricket in recent years.

Otago BHS won the Gillette Cup in 1992 and 1993 and last year’s ranking was their highest finish in several years.  

Otago BHS have had a top season thus far and should be very competitive in Palmerston North in December.

Full Squad

Coach: Tim Ford
Manager: Ken Rust
Players: Hunter Kindley (Captain), Max Chu (Vice-captain), Marc Cormack, Jacob Day, Thomas Harding, Charlie Holt, Tim Horton, Josh Kellett, Ben Lockrose, Jack Pryde, Michael Ruske, Tommy Wilson.

Reps
NZ Under-19 World Cup Training Squad: Hunter Kindley, Max Chu, Ben Lockrose.
Otago Under-19: Jack Pryde.
Otago Under-17: Thomas Harding, Charlie Holt, Josh Kellett, Tommy Wilson, Michael Ruske.

Prospects
Manager Ken Rust has attended numerous tournaments and says as a rule Year 13 players dominate the Tournament. For Otago to win, the most experienced players have to perform consistently at their best over the five games.

Four of Otago’s Year 13s play for clubs in the Senior Men’s’ Dunedin Cricket Competition, the rest of the team play in the Second Grade Men’s’ Division.

Additionally Otago play three traditional two-day interschools all of which were won outright in 2017. Both games in the Zone Finals were won by more than 130 runs. The team had a convincing win against a strong Willows team last month.

Max Chu and Hunter Kindley were among the top four run scorers at last year’s tournament, with Ben Lockrose one of the top wicket-takers and Kindley the top all-rounder.

Max Chu and Jack Pryde hold a record from the 2015 tournament for the most runs scored for the 6th wicket.
That experience will be invaluable, especially in new conditions. Otago will be a fit and well-drilled unit in the field with most of the boys top all-round sportsman.

Pryde, Holt and Wilson are in the 1st XI hockey team. Josh Kellett, is the school’s top racquet player. Tim Horton will represent the school in the National Secondary Schools athletics championships prior to the tournament. Marc Cormack was captain of the 2nd XV rugby team. Kindley and Michael Ruske are in the 1st XI Basketball team and Max Chu is in the 1st XI Football team.

This profile is in partnership with the Association of Boys’ Schools of New Zealand

The National cricket finals will be held in Palmerston North in December. Six teams compete in 50-aside matches over five days to crown New Zealand’s top cricket school. Tauranga Boys’ College is one of the teams present at the 2017 edition of the tourney.

Squad
Coach: Charles Williams (Bay of Plenty Senior Coach)
Manager: Neil Howard (Former Bay of Plenty rep)
Squad: Mikaere Leef, Craig Baldry, Brad Howard, Andrew Mascall, Tas Carsons, Marcel Collett, Dominic Crombie, Rhys Mischewski, Ben Pomare, Finn Sears, Imanpreet Singh,Rhys Donaghy
Note: Tauranga had four Year 13’s and eight Year 12’s in the squad that won the qualifying tournament.
Leading Run Scorer: Marcel Collet
Leading Wicket Taker: Rhys Mischewski
Dual Codes: Andrew Mascall and Mikaere Leef are in the First XV rugby team.

Competition
Tauranga play in the Baywide Men’s’ Premier competition and have done so since the 1960’s. Tauranga tends to finish mid-table. The 2009 team notably won the competition.

This season Trent Boult has appeared for his club side in this competition. Other notable Bay of Plenty players involved are Kane Williamson, Daniel Flynn, Corey Anderson and Dean Brownlie, all of whom are Black Caps. Additionally Tauranga play a 50-over Super 8 competition in January and long-standing traditional fixtures.

Nationals Pathway
Tauranga’s path to Nationals involves a week long qualifying tournament held in Hamilton. To qualify, Tauranga defeated Whangarei Boys’ High School, Hillcrest High School, St Paul’s Collegiate and Hamilton Boys’ High School. The win over St Paul’s was very notable on their home ground.

Proud History
Kane Williamson (Black Caps Captain), Daniel Flynn, Brett Hampton, Bharat Poplima and Joe Carter are all playing first class cricket at present. Bay of Plenty hold the Hawke Cup and in the present reign 15 old boys have featured in the side. TBC won the Northern Districts qualifying competition in 2014 and 2015. All of the boys in this team therefore have played a finals tournament in Palmerston North before. Tauranga won the National cricket title in 2005,