In term 1 our 2nd XI, coached by teacher Matt Hunter, played in the Christchurch schools’ competition. They got great cricket experience and enjoyed the short season of 5 weeks. Some of the 1st XI players helped out with officiating on game days.

Later in the year on 10 October 2019 Christchurch Girls High School 1st XI was invited to play St Hilda’s Collegiate at The Willows, Rangiora. Here is a report on the match:

“To be invited to play at The Willows is a real privilege BUT to be the first girls/ladies team to play there was extra special. The toss was made and St Hilda’s chose to field. The bell rang and 11am on the dot and history was made as Casey Liddington and Maggie Martin strode out to bat closely followed by the St Hilda’s team led by their captain Olivia Gain. Tight bowling by the St Hilda’s bowlers made runs hard to come by and Christchurch Girls were 4 down for 32 at the first drinks break. Some rear guard action from Lily Collier who made 22 not out saw Christchurch Girls through to 81 all out in the 31st of the 40 overs. 

After a magnificent lunch under the oak trees, on white table-clothed tables and comfortable chairs, St Hilda’s went through their batting warm up routines, likewise Christchurch Girls High bowlers and fielders warned up and at 2.20, Olivia Gain and Megan Meltzer made their way to the middle in pursuit of the 82 runs required for victory. The bowling was tight and Georgia Edge the Christchurch GHS captain in her first spell conceding only 17 runs from 4 overs. Olivia and Megan batted very effectively and when Megan was dismissed for 18, St Hilda’s had lost their first wicket with their total on 49. Olivia anchored the innings and saw her team through to a 7 wicket win at 2.45pm and she finished on 43 not out (however the game did carry on after the victory was secured and Olivia was retired at 52, the first ever half century by a lady at The Willows). 

The match was played in wonderful spirit and the girls all get on very well having made some strong friendships over and number of years at national competitions. The same goes for the coaches. It was lovely to have many members from The Willows club present. As well, Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand cricket legend and Amy Satterthwaite current White Ferns captain and Leah Tahuhu White Ferns fast bowler, spent the day in attendance and presented the team awards and as well as gifts from the club. St Hilda’s won the inaugural Willows Rosebowl trophy. A great crowd enjoyed the occasion, basking in delightful conditions under the trees soaking up the atmosphere.”

Later in October the CGHS 1st XI Cricket team participated in the Gillette Venus qualifying tournament at Hagley Park. The team played three pool games and managed to win all three which put them through into the final. They played St Margaret’s College, Rangi Ruru and the Forward Foundation (a team comprising of players from a range of schools). The team played the Forward Foundation girls’ team in the final, choosing to field first. The team kept their opposing team’s score to 57, with our team bowling and fielding very well. As a batting side our team were able to beat their score of 57 and take the win.

By winning this tournament our 1st XI team qualified for the Nationals Gillette Venus Cricket tournament which was held in Christchurch 6 – 8 December. 

This tournament saw 6 teams from throughout New Zealand play a round robin at Hagley Park grounds and at Lincoln University grounds. On the first day our team played at Hagley Park against St Matthew’s Collegiate and then Hutt Valley High School. Both games resulted in wins although the St Matthew’s one was only by 8 runs. Saturday saw very windy conditions out at Lincoln and two games against Epsom Girls’ and then St Hilda’s. Some quality fielding and batting by our players saw us notch up two more wins. On Sunday morning the team headed for Hagley Park and the Hagley Oval for the last game of the round against Waikato Diocesan. Another win and the team had also booked a place in the final! 

The final was against Epsom Girls’ who won the toss and chose to bat. They started with great determination and built a huge total for our team to try and better. Unfortunately, 2019 was not the year for CGHS to win because, although the team played great cricket, they could not reach the 155 which was required to win. CGHS were awarded silver medals which was fantastic and a great way to finish the year. Throughout the tournament all team members showed great spirit and represented CGHS with great pride. They got to play on Hagley Oval which was a fantastic experience. 

Huge thanks to coach, Hannah Beatson, who has put in many hours preparing the team on and off the field.

Gracie Ansell (team captain)