After a late qualifying tournament due to Covid, the 1st XI Cricket team qualified for the national tournament, the Gillette Venus Cup, in late October 2022.

The national tournament took place just prior to Christmas, on the 20-22 December 2022 at Lincoln University. The team stayed on campus, along with five other teams from around New Zealand.

Unfortunately, due to rain, no cricket was played on the first day. On day two, in the first game, the team played New Plymouth Girls’ High School which they won by 34 runs. In the second game the team came up against Wellington Girls’ College and won by eight wickets, putting them in a good position progressing into the final day of tournament.

The team started off the last day playing Otago Girls’ High School with a close battle, ending up winning by five wickets. This meant going into the final match tied on points with Epsom Girls’ Grammar School. It was an exciting match between the two teams, and the game went down to the wire with Christchurch Girls' High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora batting second and needing four runs off the last ball to win.

Unfortunately, this was not to be, with Epsom Girls’ winning by just three runs. A great finish to a fantastic three days of tournament. There were many highlights during the tournament, with all players gaining a lot of experience. The team was led by co-captains Maggie Martin and Estella Wallace.

The team were lucky to have an awesome coaching and managing team during the tournament.

 Big thanks to Katrina Keenan, Kirsty Bond and Robin Brown for their time and effort!