Cricket: Shaky start for Girls' High in tournament

Olivia Crum took Whangarei GHS's sole wicket against Villa Maria College. Photo / File

Whangarei Girls' High School's 1st XI has endured a shaky start to the NZCT Secondary School Girls Tournament, with their opening T20 match against Tawa College reading more like a game of duck, duck, goose.

Facing off against Tawa, yesterday, Whangarei GHS won the toss and opted to bat first.

However, this was the only win they were in for as Tawa's opening bowlers rifled through the Girls' High top order with supreme efficiency.

All out for 32 after 49 minutes, Whangarei GHS only lasted 9.1 overs as the game of duck, duck, goose ensued.

Brooke Golightly went first for a diamond duck (run-out), followed by captain Olivia Lobb (lbw) in the second over and Paige Golightly in the third.

With these three players being removed cheaply, Tawa suppressed Whangarei GHS even further, containing them to 16/5 after six overs, and taking eight wickets which were ducks.

As the game of duck, duck, goose continued, Jade Litchfield was the only goose of the first innings scoring a credible 22 runs off 17 balls, while Caitlin Phillips managed one run off five balls to add to the nine extras Tawa bowled. Tawa then chased down the minute total in under half an hour to secure a nine-wicket win.

In the second T20 match of Day One, Whangarei GHS played Christchurch's Villa Maria College. Winning the toss, Whangarei GHS elected to bowl.

Villa Maria clocked up 155 runs for the loss of one wicket which was taken by Olivia Crum. Struggling with their reply, Girls' High struggled at the crease as Villa Maria shut them out of the match to win by 70 runs.

Litchfield starred again with 15 runs off 19 balls as her teammates fell around her.

Play continues in Palmerston North today as New Zealand's top secondary school girls' cricket teams compete against each other in the three-day T20 round-robin national competition, ending Thursday.