New Zealand Cricket CEO Martin Snedden and White Ferns World Cup winner Catherine Campbell have opened the 2006 New Zealand Community Trust Cup Finals in Christchurch.
Mr Snedden and Ms Campbell, New Zealand Cricket’s Women’s Cricket Manager, started the 13th annual national tournament for secondary school girls at the city's Ilam Playing Fields today.
New Plymouth Girls High School, winners for the last three years, joined fellow 2005 finalists Whangarei Girls’ High School, Westlake Girls’ High School, Tauranga Girls’ College, Wellington Girls’ College, Marion College and Otago Girls’ High School.
Havelock North High School has also qualified for the finals for the first time.
Each team will play in a round-robin group of four, with the final day determining the winner and final standings.
The tournament, sponsored for the fourth year by New Zealand Community Trust, attracted 111 school entries and forms an integral part of New Zealand Cricket’s player development pathway.
Many players have graduated from the tournament to play in the State League and ultimately the White Ferns.
White Ferns captain Haidee Tiffen and team-mates Maria Fahey, Sara McGlashan, Aimee Mason, Suzie Bates and Ros Kember have all played in the competition in previous years
This productive environment has resulted in a move from the traditional finals venue of Palmerston North to Christchurch, to coincide with New Zealand Cricket’s Women’s Development Tournament, as many of the players involved will play on both competitions.
