High Hopes For Side In Revamped Tournament

Northland's hopes of defending their Northern Districts Under-15 cricket title have been sabotaged by a review of the women's competition structure but the new "junior secondary schools" team is hoping for a win at its first tournament.
The team was hoping for immediate success as it left in a buoyant mood this morning for the revamped age-group competition to be hosted this year by Bay of Plenty at Rotorua's picturesque Ray Boord Park.
"We're going to win - of course I'm going to say that - because the majority of the team is the team from last year, so we should be quite strong again," coach Heather Deane said.
The squad contains five new players, with the rest made up from the champion U15 team that scored the title last year.
The Northland junior team ranges in age from 13-15 and the competition is open to girls from Year 9-11. It was selected after the recent Northland junior secondary schools tournament, won by Kamo High School, late last month.
The changes mean that there is no longer a senior secondary school tournament for these junior players to aspire to but the senior women's programme, which is currently dominated by senior high school students, has been extended into a more meaningful competition.
"They've scrapped the (senior) secondary school tournament but extended the women's programme so we're all combined now," Deane said. The junior tournament includes teams from all six Northern Districts Minor Associations: Northland, Counties-Manukau, Waikato Valley, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Poverty Bay.
The tournament will kick off with Twenty20 over games on the first two days, before 30 over finals on the last day of play.