Taranaki premier cricket teams gear up for first weekend of competition

New Plymouth Old Boys and New Plymouth & Marist United will again be the teams to beat when Expert Turf premier cricket starts this weekend.

Taranaki Premier grade cricket is back around the mountain this weekend.

The Expert Turf 50-over title is first up for grabs beginning Saturday and running through to the final on December 10, before the two-day competition begins ahead of Christmas and runs until March 24.

The T20 competition will return to a pool-based format this year and run in January and February on Tuesday evenings. Teams have been announced for the competition.

The biggest name missing in this year’s Stratford team is Dutch international Clayton Floyd. The club has secured the services of Englishman Ross Forrester, an attacking top-order batsman who has come up through the Middlesex County pathway, to replace him.

Forrester is joined from overseas by Andrew LeFeaver, who has joined the club from the UK. Other newcomers are Beau Cronin arriving from Marist, and veteran David Simpson. Batter Finbar Moriarty returns to the club from Manawatū.

Remaining in the squad from the past season are seasoned premier and representative players such as Taranaki batsman Liam Muggeridge, Christopher Coombe, opening bowler Grant Commerford and top-order batsman Denis Milhalijevich.

The first round of matches begins at 11am on Saturday and features FDMC hosting Marist in a “big brother, little brother” matchup, Inglewood heading south to the TSB Hub at Hāwera.

There’s also a matchup between Stratford and NPOB at Stratford High School and Woodleigh will NPBHS in what could be a tight tussle.