FIRST XI CUPS



Each year there's a chance to be crowned the top cricket school in New Zealand, and it starts with winning the boys' or girls' CD regional Finals


The summer's CD champion goes on to represent us at the NZC national First XI Cup finals at the end of each calendar year. Boys qualify through the CD Boys' First XI Cup and girls through the QBE First XI Cup in CD, with the national Finals usually held in Lincoln, Canterbury


Central Districts has enjoyed several successes at Nationals in recent years. Palmerston North Girls' High are the reigning national champions and have also qualified to go to nationals at the end of this year, 2026.


NZC also selects NZ Māori Secondary Schools girls' and boys' teams to compete in annual Rangitahi fixtures.


THE MICKY PEACOCK

MEDAL



In 2026, with the blessing of Micky's family, CD introduced a new award for the CD Boys' First XI Cup Finals MVP each season


Before passing away from cancer in September 2024 at 17, Micky Peacock was an inspirational and promising young cricketer who captained the Whanganui Collegiate First XI


Micky had also been a member of the Hereworth School team that represented CD at the NZC Boys' Primary Schools Cup nationals, and won the tournament MVP award at those national finals in 2019


The CD Cricket community joins with the Peacock family in remembering Micky's love and talent for the game, and the spirit in which he played. Micky always found a way to encourage others, and the Micky Peacock Medal will continue that legacy at the CD Boys' First XI Cup Finals each year.




Micky Peacock Medal 2025/26


WILLS MADDEN

Palmerston North Boys' High School



HOW IT WORKS




The competition is open to all Secondary School First XIs in New Zealand (Years 9 to 13). The country is divided into six 'Major Association' areas - Auckland, Northern Districts, Central Districts, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago and to get to the annual national finals, your team needs to win the Final in your area the previous summer.


In Term One of each year in CD, schools compete in local draws in their region to try to qualify first of all for the CD Finals at the end of summer.


Making the CD Finals in itself provides young players with a great opportunity to compete against some of the other best young players of their generation.


For the winner of the CD regional title, NZC's national First XI Cup Finals are held in Term 3 each year.


Over the years, many first-class cricketers, Central Stags and Hinds, WHITE FERNS and BLACKCAPS have made their name in this arena and it's a special achievement to win with your schoolmates.

CD QBE FIRST XI CUP - GIRLS

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Each summer, girls' secondary schools in CD can choose to enter either the Aimee Watkins Trophy or the QBE Girls' First XI Cup competition, but not both competitions in the same season


Entry each season is open to all schools within the CD region, including schools in our South Island District Associations (Nelson and Marlborough). The annual winner of the QBE Girls' First XI Cup represents us at the NZC Nationals at the end of the year (term 3)



• HOW TO ENTER


Stay tuned. CD will call for entries from interested schools prior to each season, with entries typically closing in December each year.

The link to the entry form will be posted here when it is open.



CD FIRST XI CUP - BOYS

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Boys' secondary schools in CD can enter either the Ross Taylor Bat or the CD Boys' First XI Cup competition, but not both competitions in the same season. The Boys' First XI Cup champion will represent us at the NZC Nationals at the end of the year


The CD Boys' First XI Cup has a different structure to the Girls' competition, and begins with local qualifying matches as follows:


  • • Darcy Cup (Top of the South): the winner qualifies automatically for the CD Finals quad tournament (more on this below)

  • • The Hawke's Bay regional winner qualifies automatically for the CD Finals quad tournament

  • • The Whanganui regional winner plays the Taranaki winner. The winner of this match qualifies for the CD Finals quad tournament

  • • The Horowhenua-Kāpiti winner plays the Wairarapa regional winner - the winner of this match then plays the Manawatū regional winner to decide who qualifies for the CD Finals quad tournament


First XI Boys qualifying commences in early Term 1



• HOW TO ENTER


Stay tuned. CD will call for entries from interested schools prior to each season, with entries typically closing in December each year.

The link to the entry form will be posted here when it is open.




SECONDARY SCHOOL ARCHIVES


2025/26 CD FINALS


CD GIRLS QBE FIRST XI CHAMPION

Palmerston North Girls' High School



The 2025/26 CD Finals were held from 25-17 March 2026 at Levin's Donnelly Park and Weraroa Domain


In an expanded Finals tournament, the CD Finalists were:


     • Paraparaumu College

     • Palmerston North Girls' High School

     • St Matthew's Collegiate, Masterton

     • Sacred Heart College (New Plymouth)

     • Wairarapa College

     • Woodford House (Hawke's Bay)

     • Napier Girls' High School

     • Whanganui Collegiate School 

   

  

CD BOYS' FIRST XI CHAMPION

Palmerston North Boys' High School



The 2025/26 CD Finals were held 23-24 March 2026 at Levin's Donnelly Park. Palmy Boys made it a double for their town this season after winning the Final against Whanganui Collegiate


The four CD Finalists were:


     • Palmerston North Boys' High School

     • Lindisfarne College (Hawke's Bay)

     • Nelson College

     • Whanganui Collegiate School 




2024/25 CD FINALS


GIRLS FIRST XI CHAMPION

Palmerston North Girls' High School



The 2024/25 CD Finals were held from 26-28 March 2025 at Whanganui's Tasman Tanning Victoria Park 

Six Finalists played a Round Robin on the first 2.5 days, followed by the 1v2 Final on Friday afternoon 28 March.


The CD Finalists were:


     • New Plymouth Girls' High School

     • Palmerston North Girls' High School

     • St Matthew's Collegiate, Masterton

     • Sacred Heart College (New Plymouth)

     • Wairarapa College

     • Woodford House (Hawke's Bay)



After Palmerston North Girls' High School defended their crown in the CD regional finals that summer, at the end of the 2025 calendar year they went on to add their first national title, in Lincoln


The team was unbeaten through the nationals round robin, and won the Grand Final against Canterbury's St Margaret's College



NATIONAL RESULTS 

BOYS FIRST XI CHAMPION

Napier Boys' High School



The 2024/25 CD First XI Cup Finals was held on 25 March 2025 at Tasman Tanning Victoria Park in Whanganui


The Finals were originally scheduled to be played in the one-day format, with semi-finals on 24 March


Due to rain, all matches became T20s played on 25 March, with Semi-Finals between Palmerston North Boys' High and New Plymouth Boys' High; and Napier Boys' High and Nelson College, in the morning.

The Grand FInal and 3v4 playoff took place in the afternoon.


Napier Boys' High School and Palmerston North Boys' High School progressed to a thrilling and closely contested Grand Final. Napier Boys' High needed 7 off the last over to win, and when Bruno Moriarity hit a six to win it, Napier Boys' became back-to-back champions




2023/24 CD FINALS


GIRLS FIRST XI CHAMPION

Palmerston North Girls' High School


Term one of 2024 saw CD's top four qualifying schools compete at Palmerston North's Fitzherbert Park on 27 March 2024


Finalists were Woodford House (Hawke's Bay) who played Masterton's St Matthew's Collegiate 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 won through to the afternoon's 2023/24 Final


CD Champion PNGHS won the CD Final and represented us at the National Finals, known at this time as the Venus Cup, on 19-21 December 2024


BOYS FIRST XI CHAMPION

Napier Boys' High School


The 2023/24 CD finals took place at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North on 25-26 March 2024. The weather was a challenge and the teams braved 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.

Napier Boys' High then defeated defending champs Palmerston North Boys' High to win the year's CD ticket to the National Finals on 11-16 December 2024 in Lincoln, Canterbury


SCORES






2022/23 CD FINALS


GIRLS FIRST XI CHAMPION

St Matthew's Collegiate School Masterton


The competition was known at this time as the Venus Cup, and a special season was in store.


ST MATTHEW'S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL from Masterton defeated PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH in the CD Grand Final to earn the trip to Nationals. Once there, they went on to become national champions!


RESULTS


It was a record-breaking display that unfolded from 11 to 13 December 2023 at Lincoln, St Matt's winning the national title undefeated and showing what a great team, great support, and a great cricket programme is all about


Their captain was Central Hinds rep EMMA McLEOD who led positively from the front, scoring the first T20 century in the history of these national finals, and backing up with a second century in another game

Emma was named as one of the tournament MVPs, alongside Takapuna Grammar's Auckland Hearts rep, Rishika Jaswal


AVA REGISTER was named as St Matt's team MVP

The Venus Cup is now known as the NZC Girls' First XI Cup




2021/22 CD FINALS

• RESCHEDULED FROM THE 2021/22 SEASON


GIRLS FIRST XI CHAMPION

New Plymouth Girls' High School


The 2021/22 CD Regional Finals were meant to be played in March 2022, but an Omicron (COVID) 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 ticket to the Venus Cup nationals were:

NEW PLYMOUTH GIRLS' HIGH

NAPIER GIRLS' HIGH

PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH

ST MATTHEW'S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL Masterton


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 this year and went on to represent CD at the end of 2022


SCORES


2020/21 CD FINALS

GIRLS FIRST XI CHAMPION

St Matthew's Collegiate School Masterton


ST MATTHEW'S COLLEGIATE SCHOOL defeated PALMERSTON NORTH GIRLS' HIGH at Fitzherbert Park to win the right - for an impressive third season in a row - to represent CD at the 2021 Venus Cup nationals that year


BOYS' FIRST XI CHAMPION

Palmerston North Boys' High School


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


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


RESULTS

The Gillette Cup is now known as the NZC Boys' First XI Cup

2021/22 CD FINALS


BOYS' FIRST XI CHAMPION

Napier Boys' High School




JUNIOR SCHOOL CRICKET ARCHIVES



The Junior Secondary School Boys tournament was an NZC national competition for Years 9 and 10 schoolboys that ran until the 2023/24 season. Played over 40 overs, CD had a strong record at this level. Boys participated as Year 9 during the first stage (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


JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL BOYS

[discontinued in 2023]


2023/24 WHANGANUI COLLEGIATE represented CD, after defeating the previous year's CD champion NAPIER BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL in the 2024 CD regional final. CD Cricket hosted the last 2024 NZC Junior Secondary School Boys national finals in Palmerston North, in March 2024. Wellington College became the last champion - read more here


2022/23 

NAPIER BOYS' HIGH won the 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, finishing third among NZ's six top schools


2020/21 

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


2019/20 

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


NATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOL CUP [discontinued in 2022]


This was a 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, 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, Micky Peacock named tournamanent as the 2019 tournament MVP


The 2020/21 regional CD Finals, 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 players


ANZ NATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOL SHIELD [discontinued in 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. Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School (below) won the 2020/21 regional CD Finals tournament.


PNINS was due to be our representative at the Nationals the following summer, however, the nationals were cancelled due to the 2022 Omicron outbreak