Cricket: No red ball or IPL tournaments in Whanganui this summer

'Long Format' cricket from March 2018. For the second summer in a row, there will be no red ball cricket for the Premier 1 clubs in Whanganui.

It will be another quiet end for top level club cricket in Whanganui this summer, as for the second season in a row, there will be no red ball competition for Premier 1.

Meanwhile, after three successful tournaments at Victoria Park, the annual IPL Twenty20 competition has followed its creator to Palmerston North.

Cricket Wanganui's Jordan Healy, who earlier this summer stepped into the roles vacated by departing general manager Dilan Raj, confirmed the Premier 1 sides did not have numbers to run a full four-team red ball competition in the regular late-February to March time frame.

Following the conclusion of the inter-association Coastal Challenge Cup, which has been expanded in the past two summers to ten teams and is held from early October to mid-February, neither Tech Old Boys or Wanganui Vet Services Marist can put together a full XI.

Tech have a number of overseas players in their lineup, while Marist rely on a strong contingent of university-aged players – having already defaulted their minor playoff Coastal games.

Healy said Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI are instead focusing on their regular inter-school fixtures.

In addition, the end-of-season Whanganui IPL tournament, which was the brainchild of Raj, will now be held in the Manawatu this April.

Raj created the two-day invitational tournament for New Zealand's Indian cricket clubs, starting with eight teams for the inaugural 2017 event, before hosting six teams in 2018 and then 10 sides last year.

The event will now move to Palmerston North, where Raj has taken up the position of director of cricket with the Manawatu association.

The Whanganui IPL Twenty 20 tournament is leaving town after three seasons.

Therefore, the main senior cricket still going in Whanganui is the Bullocks Premier 2 Pro 40 competition, which has its last round robin games this weekend, followed by consecutive weekends of semifinals and then the final.

This Friday and Saturday, Cricket Wanganui will host the Pak 'n Save Intermediate Trophy tournament at Victoria Park.

Games will be held at 9.30am and 1.15pm on both days.