More than 30 Māori Secondary Schools alumni will feature as players and staff at the Māori National Tournament beginning in Tāmaki Makaurau this Sunday.
This number reflects a wave of players inspired to use cricket as a vehicle to connect to their culture.
One such player is Jayden Mataira, who represented the Māori Secondary Schoolboys last summer, and will make his debut for Te Whanganui-a-Tara Tāne this Sunday.
Mataira said his experiences with the Māori Schoolboys had been a strong influence in wanting to take part in the National Tournament.
“The Rangatahi Cricket Festival is a special tournament,” said Mataira.
“The opportunity to play with mates and be immersed in our culture is different to any other tournament,”
“My experiences there have definitely spurred me on to keep engaging with Māori Cricket, and I'll hopefully come away with some more great memories and connections made from Nationals.”
The Tāne and Wāhine national tournaments will play 20 games across four days, 18 - 21 October, at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga, Tāmaki Makaurau.
Equally important to the cricket will be the number of opportunities for teams to engage with Te Reo Māori through taonga tākaro, connecting players to their whakapapa and the traditions passed down from their ancestors.
Both tournaments feature five teams playing each other once in a round-robin format, with a bye each round.
The Tāne teams are Tāmaki Makaurau, Northern Māori, Central Districts Māori, Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Te Waipounamu.
The Wāhine teams are Tāmaki Makaurau, Northern Māori, Central Districts Māori, a combined Te Waipounamu / Te Whanganui-a-Tara side and a first time inclusion for Cook Islands (Kūki ʻAirani).
Follow play live on PlayHQ. Matches will also be on Frogbox, with one game per round streamed live and free on the NZC YouTube channel.
Team Lists:
Tāne:
CD Māori Tāne
Jonny Barrs, Fergus Benefield, Zac Dannefaerd, Akira Gray, Marley Hekenui, Kayse Holdaway, Presley Kupa, Izaiah Lange, Bayley Latter, Jerome Robinson, Riley Senior, Sam Payne
ND Māori Tāne
Finn Bell, Jay Benefield, Reilly Benefield, Joshua Hill, Ashton Lucas, Ryan Metcalfe, Riley Parkinson, Kuwyn Price, Cooper Robinson, James Stratton, Cohen Stewart, Blake Pentecost
Tāmaki Makaurau Tāne
Ben Brady, Jack Clough, Toby Costain, Callum Fredric, Flynn Goodley-Hollister, Jock McKenzie, Angus Oliver, Noah Scordino, Harry Sinclair, Ryan Smardon, Kaia Tauwhare, Jamal Todd, Jack Windler
Te Waipounamu Tāne
Jake Crosbie, Brendan Domigan, Josh Olliver, Charlie Furlong, Dylan Fletcher, Tim Hampton Matehe, Marsyle Scott, Jeremiah Shields, Ben Stewart, Coll Thomson, Toby Clemett, Olly Upjohn
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Tāne
Arana Cronin-Stone, Leo Bridgeman, Tom Bracewell, Zach Bishop, Darren Cudby, Luca Grace, Campbell Gollan, Will Martin, Jayden Mataira, Patrick White, Alex Thompson, Oscar Wilson
Wāhine:
CD Māori Wāhine
Georgia Atkinson, Megan Benefield, Charlotte Blackmore, Madison Brown, Fenella Cooney, Molly Noema-Barnett, Jasmine Odell, Nina Rangiwahia, Brooke Te Wake, Kerry Tomlinson, Ella Wanahi, Tiana Whitton-Walker
ND Māori Wāhine
Marama Downes, Dayle Anderson, Jessica Benge, Skye Bowden, Ineka Cartwright, Ella Farrell, Kelly Habraken, Tayla Hollis, Mereana Hyde, Molly Milroy, Natalia Ross, Sadie Stewart
Tāmaki Makaurau Wāhine
Luca Campbell, Jaxon Dalton Steel, Ella Drumm, Raiha Jeory-Reynolds, Mya Kingi, Holly Lightbourne, Jade Marris, Christelle McGuire, Jess Smith, Anika Tauwhare, Anika Todd, Isabella Watson
Te Waipounamu & Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wāhine
Greta Abbott, Kelly Anderson, Aria Cameron, Kate Craig, Chloe Graham, Gemma Guiney, Lyla Hemmingsen, Sasha MacArthur, Amelia Newell, Emma Parker, Megan Tuapawa
Kūki ‘Āirani
Davina Luai, Zamira Ikuia, Asleigh Katoa, Sonnia Vaia, Oioi Vaia, Tea Williams, Anika Beren, Taiora Elikina, Tailor Maika, Esther Williams, Koitai Mataora, Sammer Siale
Tournament draw (Tāne)
|
Round |
Date and time |
Match |
Ground |
|
1 |
Sun 18 Oct, 2:00 pm |
Te Whanganui-a-Tara v Central Districts Māori |
HPCC No. 1 |
|
1 |
Sun 18 Oct, 2:00 pm |
Tāmaki Makaurau v Northern Māori |
HPCC No. 7 |
|
2 |
Mon 19 Oct, 10:00 am |
Northern Māori v Te Whanganui-a-Tara |
HPCC No. 4 |
|
2 |
Mon 19 Oct, 10:00 am |
Te Waipounamu v Central Districts Māori |
HPCC No. 5 |
|
3 |
Mon 19 Oct, 2:30 pm |
Te Whanganui-a-Tara v Te Waipounamu |
HPCC No. 4 |
|
3 |
Mon 19 Oct, 2:30 pm |
Central Districts Māori v Tāmaki Makaurau |
HPCC No. 5 |
|
4 |
Tue 20 Oct, 10:00 am |
Central Districts Māori v Northern Māori |
HPCC No. 1 |
|
4 |
Tue 20 Oct, 10:00 am |
Te Waipounamu v Tāmaki Makaurau |
HPCC No. 7 |
|
5 |
Wed 21 Oct, 10:00 am |
Northern Māori v Te Waipounamu |
HPCC No. 4 |
|
5 |
Wed 21 Oct, 10:00 am |
Tāmaki Makaurau v Te Whanganui-a-Tara |
HPCC No. 5 |
Byes: Round 1 Te Waipounamu, Round 2 Tāmaki Makaurau, Round 3 Northern Māori, Round 4 Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Round 5 Central Districts Māori.