After lifting New Zealand’s Women’s Under-21 Cricket trophy at nationals last year, Central Districts’ next generation of Central Hinds are off to defend their New Zealand title.

Six of the exciting 2018/19 CD Under-21 squad named today have already represented the Central Hinds at full domestic level, ensuring the young CD women will be marked out once again as the team to beat from this Saturday.

The annual Under-21 tournament in Auckland is the premier showdown for emerging talent in the New Zealand women’s game, with nine of the squad — captain Rosemary Mair, Monique Rees, Georgia Atkinson, twin sisters Gemma and Kate Sims, twin sisters Anna and Kate Gaging, Taila Hurley and vice-captain Claudia Green — all returning from last December’s successful title tilt.

Two sets of twins selected in the same Central Districts representative team was a New Zealand first on that occasion, and the double-double-trouble is back for the defence, Nelson’s Gaging sisters and Wairarapa’s Sims sisters gearing up for the tournament at Auckland’s Lloyd Elsmore Park.

The CD region has a remarkable number of twins coming through in the men's and women's representative and age-group game: in addition to the talented Gaging and Sims sisters, Nelson cricket has Thomas and David Zohrab and Jonty and Finn Raxworthy. Manawatū can lay claim to identical twins Whetu and Floyd na Nagara while Wairarapa has the Childs twins, Ethan and Quinn, who both made their Wairarapa senior rep debut while still at school.

The Pakuranga venue won’t entirely be foreign territory to the women’s Under-21 squad, which is drawn from both islands in the CDCA catchment: it’s where CD won the trophy last year, but the team will take the field under a fresh captain this time with Hawke’s Bay Central Hind Mair appointed to lead the side, and new Central Hind Green, from Nelson, stepping up as vice-captain.

Last season’s captain and player of the tournament Jess Watkin scored the first double century in the tournament’s history and has gone on to make a head-turning start to her international WHITE FERNS career this year, reflecting the up-and-coming strength of the CD region as as whole as the women’s game takes off.

Hawke’s Bay’s Margot Scoular (who was a non-travelling reserve last year), Manawatū’s Ashtuti Kumar and Wairarapa’s Ocean Bartlett come into the squad for this season’s tournament. The Under-21 squad will have a couple of experienced heads helping them achieve this year’s goals, again coached by Central Hinds allrounder Mikaela Greig and managed by Hinds captain Anlo van Deventer.

“It’s a very promising squad again this year with a good mix of experience and newbies,” says Greig.

“We have won this tournament twice in the last three years, and we’re really looking forward to getting out there again.”

The team’s opening fixture against Northern Districts begins at 10.00am this Saturday at the tournament base, Auckland’s Lloyd Elsmore Park, in a week-long tournament that reaches its finale on 21 December.

Central Districts Under-21 team

Rosemary Mair (captain) — Hawke’s Bay 

Claudia Green (vice-captain) — Nelson

Georgia Atkinson — Wairarapa

Ocean Bartlett — Wairarapa

Anna Gaging — Nelson

Kate Gaging — Nelson

Gemma Sims — Wairarapa

Kate Sims — Wairarapa 

Taila Hurley — Taranaki

Ashtuti Kumar — Manawatū

Monique Rees — Taranaki

Margot Scoular — Hawke’s Bay

Sophie Pyott (Hawke’s Bay), Kelsi Husband (Taranaki) and Cate Pedersen (Hawke’s Bay) have been named as non-travelling reserves

Coach - Mikaela Greig

Manager - Anlo van Deventer

Article added: Monday 10 December 2018