Unseasonable cold snaps sadly put paid to a several planned schoolgirls matches. First, a double-header of games set to open the season in October had to be cancelled and the same fate happened for a match between a Willows XI and a Wellington Wanderers XI in March.
Luckily, we were able to reschedule the former in the final week of the season. Two-T21 games were staged involving old Rosebowl Trophy rivals Christchurch Girls’ High School 1st XI and St Hilda’s Collegiate School 1st XI; followed by Otago Girls’ High School 1st XI versus St Margaret’s College 1st XI – both being newcomers to the ground. We were treated to excellent cricket with some stand-out players.
In game one, St Hilda’s proved too strong scoring 151/5 to 56/9. The top order of the southerners stole the show with runs from Megha Santhilkumar (32), Ella Gibson (36 retired) and the talented Otago Sparks rep Chloe Deerness (49 not out). That squared the rubber between them – it’s all on for the 2024 fixture!
In game two, a dominant innings from Phoebe Spear (65) meant St Margaret’s College 1st XI ran up a score of 124/5 in their overs. They then proceeded to bowl out OGHS for 50 runs with the figures of the day being returned by Ciara Hartland (4 for 5). For their efforts Phoebe and Ciara were named joint players of the match. As well, Board member Kirsty Bond presented the inaugural Amy Satterthwaite–Suzie Bates Trophy to Phoebe and her team.
That tidily meant a 1-1 result between Otago and Canterbury. Not only did the four teams enjoy their Willows experience but the respective coaches and managers are enthusiastic that The Willows plan to bring on more such innovation for the women’s game. Thanks to umpires Vibhuti Patel and David Reid and scorer Dave Stuthridge who officiated for the day.