Hamilton's Berkley Intermediate was the only school in the country to have a team in both the MILO Cup and MILO Shield finals in Palmerston North and although the teams played well in yesterday's round-robin stage they've both missed out on playing for the silverware
Both teams are today playing for third and fourth position.
In the MILO Cup the Berkley side was beaten on the second to last ball, while in the MILO Shield the girls’ side was unable gain on their good start with the bat and were defeated by Heaton Normal Intermediate by eight wickets.
The teams may have lost, but the players haven’t lost their spirit, which Berkley School cricket co-ordinator and coach of the Shield side Duncan Haworth says is a positive thing. “The boys lost on the last ball but they are enjoying the experience of being here,” he said. “We are making history by having two teams from the same school at the finals. It’s a proud time for our school.”
He said it’s a positive experience for the players to go up against some strong opposition. “In the girls’ side we only have one true cricketer; however all of them are very talented in other sports and have confidence in themselves. The competition is a bit of a reality check because there are other girls in the country who are better at cricket then they are,” he said. “It was always going to be a hard task, but it’s a huge building stage on how to deal with defeat.”
Today the Berkley boys’ team face off against Christchurch South in the MILO Cup, while the girls’ side plays Waimea in the MILO Shield.
Both teams won the toss this morning. The boys decided to bat while the girls elected to bowl.
