Estella Wallace, Year 12, recently returned from Wellington having played in the NZ Māori Secondary Schools Cricket Team against the Governor General’s XI.

The New Zealand Māori Schools team is made up of males and females of Māori descent, from all over New Zealand. The purpose of this team is not only to develop our cricket skills but also has a focus on connecting with tikanga. 

On Tuesday 9th February, both the boys' and girls' teams assembled in Wellington, and stayed at the Pipitea Marae over the week. Both teams played two games against the Governor General's XI over the course of two days - a T20, which was later shortened to 15 overs due to a rain delay, and a 50 over game. The result was 2 losses, with the Governor General's XI getting 105/7 in the T20 and us only getting 84/7, and in the 50 over game they batted 276/9 while we were bowled out for 174. 

Whilst we lost both games, everyone enjoyed the experience and was proud of their performance. I myself, was pleased with my top performances during the 2 games; 1/20 bowling in the T20 and 40 runs off 50 balls in the 50 over game.