Māori and Pasifika secondary school cricket players will be on show today in Auckland as the first meeting between the two teams gets under way.
The Rangatahi Cricket Festival will feature boys’ and girls’ sides, each playing three T20 matches at the Parnell Cricket Club over two days.
The Māori Schools teams feature a number of up-and-coming stars of New Zealand cricket, including Lachie Bailey (Ngāti Kuia) who has been selected for a third time in the Aotearoa side. The all-rounder is a Wellington U-19 representative. Josh Olliver (Te Āti Awa) is another all-rounder with a promising future. The King’s College student is an Auckland U19 representative and also played for the inaugural Auckland Māori side in 2022 against the Cook Islands and Northern Māori.
![Kings College cricketer Josh Olliver. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/DGHFYVOXNVAUPLPP3BPHG7XLQM.jpg?auth=5377f14472bc3c17aab715cfc17bad968ca27435aea0e359567722bf7b85f5fd&width=16&height=22&quality=70&smart=true)
Meanwhile, the girls’ side will feature sisters Kiri and Dayle Anderson (Tainui), Ella Gibson (Tūhoe, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāti Porou), Jess Smith (Tainui, Ngāpuhi) and Anika Todd (Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara) who all return to the squad to face a strong Pasifika team.