NATIONAL SCHOOL TOURNAMENTS

SCHOOLS CRICKET


Each season, there's a chance to be crowned the top school cricket XI in New Zealand!

CD is represented at each of the three national School Cricket Finals tournaments run by NZC by our regional champion, competing against 5 other regional winners.

NZC also selects New Zealand Maori Secondary Schools girls' and boys' teams to compete in annual fixtures.



VENUS CUP

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This is the major goal for the best secondary schoolgirls' First XIs in the country, for Years 9 to 13 girls


Participating teams enter the competition in term one of the school year within their region, and play against nearby schools. Winning teams then advance through to their regional finals. The six regional winners from around the country, including CD, head to the national finals that are held in term four of the school year


2024 CD CHAMPION … PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL

Term one of the 2024 school year saw CD's top four qualifying schools compete for the annual title at Palmerston North's Fitzherbert Park, on 27 March 2024. This finalists were Woodford House (Hawke's Bay) and Masterton's St Matthew's Collegiate who played each other in the first T20 Semi-Final, and Palmerston North Girls' High and New Plymouth Girls' High who met in the other Semi-Final.


PNGHS and defending champion - and defending national champs - St Matthew's Collegiate proceeded to the 2023/24 Final in the afternoon, with Palmerston North Girls' High winning the right to defend the national title at the next national Venus Cup. at the end of this year!


2023 - A special year for St Matthew's Collegiate School


After having qualified in the 2022/23 through the CD Finals, Masterton's St Matthew's Collegiate created a slice of history when they put on a fine display at the 2023 Venus Cup National Finals. The Venus Cup took place from 11 to 13 December 2023 at Lincoln, Canterbury and St Matthew's Collegiate won the Venus Cup undefeated!


St  Matts showed what a great team, and a great cricket programme, is all about. Congratulations to all the players, coaches, teachers and everyone who supported these champions along the way. Captain and Central Hinds rep EMMA McLEOD led from the front, scoring the first, and then the second, T20 centuries in the history of these national finals! Emma was named one of two joint tournament MVPs (alongside Takapuna Grammar and Auckland rep, Rishika Jaswal). AVA REGISTER was named St Matt's team MVP.



JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL BOYS

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A competition for Years 9 and 10, CD has a strong record at this level. Boys participate as Year 9 during the first stage of the competition (October to December) and then as Years 9 and 10 during the second stage of the competition (term one of the following year; January to March).

2023/24 CD QUALIFIER • WHANGANUI COLLEGIATE earned the right to represent CD at the 2024 NZC Nationals, after defeating last year's CD champion, NAPIER BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL. in the 2024 CD Final

It was CDCA's pleasure to host the 2024 NZC Junior Secondary School Boys national finals in Palmerston North in March at Fitzherbert and Manawaroa Parks. Matches consisted of 40 overs per team in a round robin format. Wellington College were crowned the season's champion - read more 2023/24 NZC NATIONAL FINALS •
here



GILLETTE CUP

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The Gillette Cup for secondary schoolboy First XIs is for Years 9 to 13

2024 CD champion: Napier Boys' High School

Our CD Gillette Cup qualifying tournament provides players with a great opportunity to compete against some of the other best young players of the same generation - not only from across Central Districts, but ultimately, for the tournament winner, from right across New Zealand

Over the years, many first-class cricketers, future Central Stags and BLACKCAPS have made their name in this long-running tournament, and it's a special trophy to win with your schoolmates!



2024 CD REGIONAL FINALS

Term One of the school year sees CD hold the regional finals, which for 2023/24 took place at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North on 25 and 26 March 2024 on an unseasonally cold couple of days!

PALMERSTON NORTH BOYS' HIGH defeated NELSON COLLEGE and NAPIER BOYS' HIGH defeated NEW PLYMOUTH BOYS' HIGH in two exciting semi-finals on Monday, setting up the 26 March CD Regional Final.

Congratulations to NAPIER BOYS' HIGH who defeated defending champs PALMERSTON NORTH BOYS' HIGH to win this year's ticket to the Nationals later this year!

SCORES AND RESULTS


RECENT CHAMPIONS

2023 CD champion: Palmerston North Boys' High School

Palmerston North Boys' High contested the NZC Gillette Cup nationals in Lincoln from 17 to 22 December 2023


The previous summer had seen Palmerston North Boys' High defeat New Plymouth Boys' High in a close-fought CD final, while defending champion Napier Boys' High and Nelson College played off for third. Find the match results here



ARCHIVE • PREVIOUS SUMMERS



VENUS CUP RECENT HISTORY


• 2023 CD FINALS ST MATTHEW'S COLLEGIATE defeated PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH in the CD Grand Final to earn the tickets to Nationals. Find the results here


• 2022 CD FINALS (RESCHEDULED FROM THE 2021/22 SEASON)

Our 2021/22 CD Regional Finals were originally due to be played in March 2022, but the Omicron outbreak meant the T20 Finals had to be postponed until the following season: November 2022, in Term 4.

The four teams playing for the CD title and berth at the Venus nationals were NEW PLYMOUTH GIRLS' HIGH, NAPIER GIRLS' HIGH, PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH and ST MATTHEW'S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL.

NPGHS and ST MATT's won their way through to the CD Final. As expected, St Matt's put up a great fight, but it was New Plymouth Girls' High who won the crown and went on to represent CD at the end of 2022. Cricket PLAYHQ hub.


• 2021 CD FINALS

ST MATTHEW'S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL made the CD Regional Final in March 2021, and defeated PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH in the regional Final at Fitzherbert Park to win the right - for the third season in a row - to represent CD at the 2021 Venus Cup nationals.



GILLETTE CUP RECENT HISTORY


2023 CD champion: PALMERSTON NORTH BOYS' HIGH

Palmerston North Boys' High School contested the NZC Gillette Cup nationals in Lincoln from 17 to 22 December 2023


The previous summer had seen Palmerston North Boys' High defeat New Plymouth Boys' High in a close-fought CD final, while defending champion Napier Boys' High and Nelson College played off for third. Find match results here


JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL BOYS • RECENT CHAMPIONS


NAPIER BOYS' HIGH won the 2022/23 CD Final to represent CD at NZC's Nationals. The National tournament was again hosted by CDCA in Palmerston North in March 2023. NBHS had a strong tournament, finsihing third among the six top schools from around New Zealand


NAPIER BOYS' HIGH represented us at the 2020/21 NZC Junior Secondary School Nationals, hosted by CDCA in Palmerston North in March 2021. NBHS again enjoyed a strong tournament, dropping just one match to finish national runner-up to Auckland Grammar


NEW PLYMOUTH BOYS' HIGH won a very tight CD Final against NAPIER BOYS' HIGH to become the 2019/20 CD champion. Sadly, this team was unable to travel and contest the national title as the NZC tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19

ANZ NATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOL CUP - discontinued from 2022

This was the competition for primary and intermediate schoolboys. It provided boys with the opportunity to play cricket amongst friends and test their skills against schools from within their region and, if successful, the other best teams in the country.

CD won this national title in 2018/19 with Huntley School putting in a strong performance for the trophy!

In both 2019/20 and 2020/21, CD's representative was Hereworth School from Havelock North in Hawke's Bay. We were delighted to see another strong performance on both occasions. Hereworth claimed the runners-up medal in both 2019 and 2020, while Micky Peacock was named tournamanent 2019 tournament MVP.

The 2020/21 regional CD Finals for in the CD area, and the Ross Taylor Bat, were held on 7 April 2021. Francis Douglas Memorial College, Huntley School, Masterton Intermediate and Havelock North took part.

Havelock North Intermediate (below) won our Primary Cup playoffs, defeating the Francis Douglas Memorial College boys in the final.

The ANZ National Primary Cup has now been superceded by other NZC programmes designed for primary and intermediate school kids.


ANZ NATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOL SHIELD - discontinued from 2022

Replaced by new, targeted NZC programmes, this was the competition for primary and intermediate schoolgirls. It provided girls with the opportunity to play cricket amongst friends and test their skills against schools from within their region and, if successful, the other best teams in the country.

Masterton's St Matthew's Collegiate was CD's representative at the last nationals held, hosted by CD at Manawaroa Park, Palmerston North in November 2020. 

The 2020/21 regional CD playoffs for the season's top four teams from CD were held on 9 March 2021 with Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School (below) winning the 2020/21 regional CD Finals tournament. PNINS were due to be our representative at the Nationals the following summer, however, the nationals were cancelled due to the 2022 Omicron outbreak.