Howzat? Cricket is back for summer

Eve Wolland

Three Cambridge High School cricket teams launched their 2023/2024 summer seasons at home on Saturday as the Hamilton and Waikato Valley Secondary Schools’ competition got underway.

Cambridge High’s U19 1st XI squared off with the 2nd XI on the number one oval, while the U16 Junior XI went head-to-head with Hamilton Boys’ High S

chool Colts Silver on the number two pitch.

Second XI captain Hamish Copeland said his team, who bowled first, was feeling “quite nervous” going into today’s match, but a couple of early wickets helped their confidence.

His side managed to dismiss their opponents for 169 in 39.4 overs.

“That was encouraging because last season we’d let over 300 runs go against teams that weren’t as good,” Copeland said. “We had them 30-something for three at one stage.”

The team had a sniff at victory but their hopes tumbled when a quick fall of wickets through the middle order left them all out for 114 in the 42nd over.

However, Copeland was impressed with the overall effort.

“Usually we’d bat like this but give away a lot of runs when we’re bowling – but we managed to bowl quite well,” he said.

On the next door field, the Cambridge High U16 Junior XI failed to chase down Hamilton Boys Colts Silver’s total of 125 when they were dismissed after 29.5 overs for 95.

Despite the 30-run loss, captain Theo Goodwin was upbeat about the performance.

“We played well – we bowled well and fielded well and the boys were positive for the whole game,” he said.

The school’s U16 Colts team were all out for 81 after 24.5 overs playing away against the St Paul’s Collegiate Colts XI, who batted out their 40 overs, scoring 235 for the loss of only two wickets.

Cambridge High’s 1st XI Girls were set to take on St Peter’s Cambridge Girls at home on Tuesday (October 31) at 4.30pm.

A new T20 competition has been introduced this term and was scheduled to begin yesterday (November 1).

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