In the last week of the summer school vacation we were delighted to host the Seddon Cricket Club (Hamilton) Under-17 team for two days. On the first afternoon the team had a coaching clinic at Hagley with John Wright, Matthew Hart, Joey Yovich, Llorne Howell and others. The next day the lads enjoyed an excellent match against a Willows Under-17 side selected by Dave Kelly. Both sides comprised exciting young players drawn mainly from smaller rural schools in both regions, giving the day added appeal and interest. For the record the northerners prevailed in a match which produced just shy of 500 runs with only 11 dismissals. Thanks to all involved – this sort of initiative is at the heart of the ethos of both clubs in growing the game.
Another Dave Kelly U-17 team travelled to the Basin Reserve to play the final match of the season against a strong Wanderers side. It was a drizzly old day and because of a late start it was reduced to a 24-over affair. Wellington set our boys the tall order to chase in the vicinity of 210 runs which proved too great a target in the end. Notwithstanding, it was a wonderful occasion with a sizeable group of parents travelling up for the fixture. Our thanks to Wellington Cricket for allowing our lads on to the Basin turf.
(Source: Annual Report 2022 - 2023)