Our Christchurch Girls High School/ Te Kura o Hine Waiora 1st XI Cricket team participated in the Venus Cup National tournament at the end of last year.

Our team qualified after winning the regional tournament last October.

The team headed to Lincoln University on Sunday 10 December to stay in the Uni Halls with the five other teams from around New Zealand. On the first evening there was a welcoming dinner and the first chance players had to check each other out.

The other schools were St Hilda’s Collegiate, Takapuna Grammar, Tauranga Girls’, St Matthew’s Collegiate and Wellington Girls’.  Play started on Monday with blue skies and favourable conditions, with our team playing against St Hilda’s; the matches were all Twenty20 format. Christchurch Girls High School/ Te Kura o Hine Waiora started batting and made128/7, with Sacha Arnold scoring 58 not out. This was a great start with most of the team getting to face the St Hilda’s bowlers. 

St Hilda’s also started very strongly, making 130/1, and winning by 6 wickets. The afternoon game against Takapuna Grammar was tough with another loss; Takapuna 182/4 and Christchurch Girls High School/ Te Kura o Hine Waiora 112/6.  Tuesday’s weather did not start well, with wet conditions. Morning games were abandoned and although the weather cleared, there was not enough time for pitches to be prepared for afternoon games, and they were abandoned too.

Our Canterbury weather turned it on for the final day of play on Wednesday and two matches were played. Christchurch Girls High School/ Te Kura o Hine Waiora played Tauranga Girls’ in the morning and then St Matthew’s Collegiate in the afternoon. Two more losses, but some great play at times for our team. One notable performance was Lilah Cowan making 57 not out in the match against St Matthew’s. The winning team, and therefore National Champions for 2023, was St Matthew’s Collegiate. Our Christchurch Girls High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora team was a young side and they definitely had a great time over the three days, learning and experiencing a well-run tournament.

Thanks must go to their coach, Paul Knight, and team ‘Mum’, Rachel Arnold, for all their work with, and care of, the team.