NHJC: Y6 Boys Blog

A new home for NH Yr 6

2010-05-27T16:34:00.003+12:00

Hi All

NH Yr 6 has found itself a new home for the 2010/11 season.
We now live at: http://nhjcy7.blogspot.com

Craig Beecroft
NH Yr 7 Convenor 2010/11

Photos v Western Districts

2010-03-30T08:01:00.000+13:00

Result v Western Districts

2010-03-21T19:04:00.009+13:00

To end the season we came down to the final fixture against Western Districts, who together with North Harbour are one of the five main associations in the Auckland region.

Game 1: North Harbour Black

Batting first we posted 144 all out in 39.1 overs, and in that score we were assisted by 43 extra's. Unfortunately the top order failed to fire again, we were 74/6 at one stage. Of the five batsman listed at two to six in the order, the top score amongst them was six runs. The coaches I'm sure were unhappy - as they'd specifically talked about a more controlled batting approach. Our downfall was one of a lack concentration and application, try and learn from this again, because as you go into Year 7 cricket this part of your game will need to improve.

Dylan Stevenson, who opened the batting, demonstrated what was needed and he compiled a sensible 23 and held the innings together. The late middle/lower order batsmen, principally Jack (20) and Keegan (15) ensured we batted the overs and got us up to a score that was below what we wanted, but defendable. 200 would have been a strong score, 180 would have been a good score, 160 par. On the positive side, everyone got to bat again :-)

When you bowl out a District "A" side for 75, as you then proceeded to do, your Coaches or I could not have asked for anything more. There are a number of good batsmen in the Western Districts side, and you knocked them over. The bowling was very tight from the beginning, the energy in the field was good, and the ground fielding and catching was also very good. You sustained the pressure right to the end of the innings, you gave them no respite, it was a complete and outstanding performance, you should all be very proud of that effort.

North Harbour Black. 144 all out in 39.1overs. Dylan Stevenson 23 (50), Jack Clothier 20 (19), Keegan Russell 15 (52)

Western Districts "A" 75 all out in 29.5 overs. (Keegan Russell, 4ov, 3-17, Jack Collinson, 4ov, 2-9, Asher Robb, 3ov 1-1)

North Harbour Black win by 69 runs.

Game 2: North Harbour Burgundy

Our openers, Toby and Matthew, got us off to a steady start and we reached 31 before we lost our first wicket. The retention of early wickets was a big improvement from the Cornwall game the previous week. The scoring was slower than we would have wanted - as general rule we should e aiming for a minimum of 30 to 35 from the first ten overs, and we need to learn to start picking up the run rate as we get established, but a solid job was done in seeing off their better bowlers, retaining our wickets, and building a platform for the innings to launch from.

There were no big scores in the innings but many contributions - there was seven scores between 11 and 21, but you all had a good opportunity to bat. Trent Baker, in his first game for North Harbour, had a good 21n.o.

We finished on 162/9 in 40 overs. Extra's (39) we again kind to us.

There were a couple of very questionable umpiring decisions today, and we've tried to teach you to accept those decisions, right or wrong, and while a couple of boys came off very clearly disappointed (rightly so in my opinion) you both accepted the decision of the umpire and we got on with the game. Those are the values we've tried to impart upon you, and like to see.

There were some very good bowling performances, Max Dewe in his first North Harbour game got the ball through at speed, Tom Barham took two wickets, as did Ryan Quinn who had superb figures of 4ov, 2-4. The overall key to the bowling effort was that the bowling was tight, pressure was built and wickets continued to fall.

Western were all out for 112 in 26 overs. Again, that was an outstanding effort.

Keiran Young was given his first opportunity to Captain North Harbour today and I thought he did a good job. Well done Keiran.

To Max, Trent, and Matthew who were all playing your first games, good to see you enjoy it, and we'll be seeing you again.

North Harbour Burgundy 162/9 in 40 overs (Trent Baker 21n.o (23), Toby Robb 20 (70)

Western Districts "B" 112 all out in 26 overs. (Tom Barham 4ov, 2-12, Ryan Quinn 2ov, 2-4, Toby Robb, 2ov, 1-2)

North Harbour Burgundy win by 50 runs.

And as always a big thanks to the Coaches, Umpires and Scorers who all helped make the fixture run as seamlessly as possible.

Results v Cornwall

2010-03-14T20:01:00.015+13:00

We were playing a longer game today, 40 overs, and we asked you to ensure you batted your 40 overs, to maintain your intensity and energy in the field, and to concentrate on positive, aggressive running between the wickets.

Game 1

The Burgundy side had a poor start, and struggled to 70/8 off the first 20 overs. Aside from Ryan Schierhout's composed 32, there was a lack of application in the batting. You were getting yourselves out playing aggressive shots to balls that needed to be treated with more respect. This is a learning experience, if we are getting tied down by good bowling sometimes you need to "knuckle down", bat for time and the runs will come.

At 70/8 we looked in real trouble, and the Coaches asked you (again) to look to bat 40 overs and what followed was an excellent partnership between Asher 42 ret and Adrian 32 (n.o). There was nothing "flashy" about this partnership, the good ball was treated with respect and defended, and the bad ball was worked away for runs. We ended with 158/9 in 40 overs - well done, we batted the 40 overs, and a score of near to 160 gave us a score to defend.

I think we bowled and fielded with good energy. Cornwall batted well, only losing two wickets and the runs came steadily with Cornwall achieving the target in the 34th over. Two of Cornwall's top three batsmen scored 40ret through sensible batting. Some of our ground fielding was poor though - the outfield was a bit bumpy and when it is like that you need to get right in behind the ball.

The energy and effort in the field appeared to be good to the end, and in a final analysis we should accept we were beaten by a better team on the day.

North Harbour Burgundy 158/9 in 40 overs (Ryan Schierhout 32, Asher Robb 42ret, Adrian Young 32)
Cornwall 160/2 in 34 overs. (Jacob Scott, 6ov 2-29, Adrian 4ov, 0-9, Jack Clothier 2ov, 0-1)

Game 2

Again we batted first and the match was very similar to the Burgundy game with five wickets down at drinks for 70 runs. Mitchell Watts (18) and Jonty Hawkins (30n.o) inspired the fight-back with the score ending at 110 all out after 38overs. All the same comments as per the Burgundy game apply......

Defending 110 in 40 overs was going to be a hard ask, and so it proved, with Cornwall passing the target in the 29th over.

There was no lack of effort in the field, again I think we should accept we were beaten by a better team.

Overall then we met most of the match goals we'd set then -batting 40 overs, good energy in the field, and positive running.

North Harbour Black 110 all out in 38 overs. (Mitchell Watts 18, Jonty Hawkins 30n.o)
Cornwall 111/6 in 29 overs (Nathaniel Law, 2ov, 2-18, Mitchell Watts, 2ov, 0-4, Dylan Stevenson 3ov, 0-8)

What to learn from this fixture.....

What I'd like you all to take away is the batting lesson - apply yourselves, concentrate, be patient, play yourselves in, defend the good straight balls, put the bad balls away, get your innings underway by playing the ball into gaps and running positively between the wickets, work hard through any bad periods where you are not hitting the ball well and conserve your wicket, be patient, and the longer time you spend in the middle the more comfortable you will feel and you will begin to build momentum in your innings and the runs will come.......we play Western Districts next Sunday and this will be the message you receive going into the game.

We had some boys unavailable for this fixture, but what it means is that other boys have an opportunity to play their first game for North Harbour. Those boys today were Taine De Alwis, Joshua Simpson, Nick Francis and Liam Wick. Thanks boys, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you.

v Western Districts March 21st

2010-03-10T08:11:00.017+13:00

We play Western Districts at Sunnynook Park on Sunday March 21st. The matches start at 9am, please be there at 8.15am. The two matches are 40 overs each.

North Harbour Black
Jacob Scott
Dylan Stevenson
Mitchell Watts
Angus McKenzie
Ryan Schierhout (c)
Gray Hardy
Jack Clothier (wk)
Asher Robb (wk)
Keegan Russell
Jack Collinson
Travis Van Gysen

North Harbour Burgundy
Toby Robb
Matthew Cox
Ashton Howard
Nathaniel Law
Kieran Young (c)
Ryan Quinn
Jonty Hawkins
Greg Vukets (wk)
Trent Baker
Tom Barham
Max Dewe

Unavailable
Adrian Young
Will Cole
Mitchell Bremner
Liam Brown

Results v Parnell

2010-03-07T15:08:00.018+13:00

Hot off the press......

Game 1: Parnell Maroon v North Harbour Black

Parnell Maroon played North Harbour Black with Black batting first. Our opening batsmen had a good opening partnership of 69 that provided the foundation for a final score of 118/7 off 30 overs. The bowling was reasonably good, and a score of 118 was defendable, although we would have to bowl and field well to defend it.

The bowling was generally tight and the fielding good. The fielding positions and general fielding "nous" have improved dramatically during the season. Parnell were restricted to 108/9 in 30 overs. Individually there were some good bowling performances and as a bowling unit we bowled well.

North Harbour Black 118/7 off 30 overs. Dylan Stevenson 27 (59), Jacob Scott 27 (46)
Parnell Maroon 108/9 in 30 overs, Jack Collinson 4ov, 2-13, Liam Brown 4ov, 3-14, Angus, 4ov 0-5.
A win to North Harbour by 10 runs.

Game 2: North Harbour Burgundy v Parnell Burgundy

North Harbour Burgundy were up against Parnell Burgundy. Again we batted first and the batting was a real struggle. The bowling was good, but we lost wickets regularly, couldn't form partnerships, and we couldn't seem to work the ball around, pick up singles, get the score ticking over and take pressure off ourselves. I know I've (and all the Coaches...) have mentioned this before, but if you are struggling to score runs the way to get moving is by looking to play the ball into gaps and aggressive, positive running between the wickets.

It was not until we were 51/8, with eight or nine overs still to play, when a partnership between Jack Clothier and Jonty formed and took us though to 88/8 off 30 overs that we showed what we were capable of.

Despite the small score to defend, Burgundy put in a good fight to defend their total, but 88 was not enough. I was impressed by the effort that was put into defending the total though. You fought hard to the end, and gave it your best.

North Harbour Burgundy 88/8 off 30 overs. Jack Clothier 16n.o (33), Gray Hardy 14 (33),
Parnell Burgundy 92/7 in 23 overs, Adrian Young, 2ov, 2-6, Jonty Hawkins, 2ov, 0-4
A win to Parnell Burgundy by 3 wickets.

In summary then we went into this fixture with a plan of giving other boys more batting opportunities. I was really pleased to see some boys take their opportunity today, and their ability to perform today was due to improvements in their game during the course of this season.

Likewise, the bowling of some of the boys has improved considerably and that was displayed today.

A big thanks to Tom Barham and Harrison Caldwell for filling in and playing their first games for North Harbour. Well done guys, I could see you enjoyed yourselves.

And of course a thanks to the Coaches, Scorers, and Umpires who all helped make the day a success.

v Cornwall, March 14th

2010-03-01T15:18:00.017+13:00

We have two more fixtures this season, the first against Cornwall on March 14th and the second against Western Districts on March 21st. Both fixtures are "home" games. We played Cornwall at the beginning of the season, and I want the boys to bring their "A" games to this fixture.

The teams for the Cornwall fixture are as follows:

North Harbour Burgundy
Jacob Scott
Gray Hardy
Angus McKenzie (c)
Ryan Schierhout
Ryan Quinn
Jack Clothier
Keegan Russell
Adrian Young
Liam Brown
Asher Robb (wk)
Keiran Young
Jack Collinson

North Harbour Black
Dylan Stevenson
Toby Robb
Harrison Caldwell
Mitchell Bremner
Nathaniel Law
Mitchell Watts
Jonty Hawkins
Travis Van Gysen (c)
Taine De Alwis
Liam Wick (wk)
Nick Francis
Joshua Simpson

We have selected a stronger and not as strong team for this fixture as we are playing against Cornwall A and Cornwall B. Our teams are not necessarily "A" and "B" teams, any number of boys could be in either side.

Twelve boys are to bowl and field with one boy rotating off every few overs to keep 11 on the field. The 12th boy listed in each team in the list above will bowl and field, but not bat.

Unavailable
Will Cole
Greg Vukets
Max Dewe
Ashton Howard

The two matches are 40overs and to be played at Sunnynook Park. The matches start at 9am, please be there at 8.15am.

View Larger Map

Result v Taranaki

2010-03-01T08:24:00.005+13:00

Firstly, a big thanks to Emma Law and Tania Cole who organised the after-match function. The food was fantastic, thank you again. Kelvin Stevenson was also a great help with both scoring and umpiring. With these type of fixtures all the help we can get is very much appreciated.

The Taranaki team travelled up late yesterday (Saturday) and were billeted out with our boys over-night. From all reports the billeting was much enjoyed by both our family hosts and the boys being billeted.

The match was played in good spirit. Taranaki batted well and took advantage of a fast and bumpy outfield to post a good score of 243/8 in 40 overs.

Jack Collinson had a great day with the ball and Angus pulled off two fantastic slip catches. Gray's bowling was tight, and Ashton chimed in with some wickets.

We probably bowled too many loose balls that were hit away. Our focus should be on bowling a good line and length, putting pressure on the batsmen and as the pressure builds from a lack of runs being scored wickets will come as the batsmen are forced into errors.

It was great to see a couple of our boys with real batting potential, Gray Hardy and Nathaniel Law bat so well.

After 20 overs, we were 102/4 and we had a platform to go for the target. Unfortunately though in losing those four wickets we had two run-outs and we lost a bit of batting "firepower".

The bowling after the drinks break was tight and with-in five overs it became inevitable that the target was going to be too much. Everyone down to number 11 got a chance to bat, and that complimented the bowling, where all 11 of our boys had a chance to bowl (even the wicket-keeper!).

We closed at 166/9, a pretty reasonable score in 40 overs.

The Taranaki boys were a year older, many now in Year 8 at School, and given that age difference we competed well.

The one thing to take away - the learning experience - relates to our bowling, we need to work on hitting a consistent line and length, restricting runs and building pressure.

As mentioned above, the after-match went well. All the feedback I had from the Taranaki team was that they had very much enjoyed the whole trip, the billeting, the cricket, the after-match and the whole experience. We'll attempt to continue this fixture in future years.

Taranaki 243/8 in 40 overs (Jack Collinson, 4ov, 2-6, Gray Hardy, 6ov, 0-18, Ashton Howard, 5ov, 3-40)

North Harbour 166/9 in 40 overs (Gray Hardy 24 (20), Nathaniel Law 46 ret (49).

Where the NH program is heading

2010-02-22T10:09:00.005+13:00

I’ve had a few questions about what is ahead, so I thought it may be a useful time to give parents and boys a “heads-up” about how the North Harbour program will operate over the next two years.

In December 2011 (ie the end of next year) the annual Primary School Boys (PSB) tournament will be held. PSB is essentially Year 8. At that tournament North Harbour will field two “A” teams of equal strength who play in the “A” division, and, two “B” teams who will play in the “B” division. North Harbour will play against other associations from around Auckland, for example, Central, Eastern, Manukau, and Western Districts. Each of these Districts however only field one “A” and one “B” team. At the conclusion of the tournament, Auckland selection is undertaken.

We need to start building towards having four teams (48 boys) for December 2011 and this process will start later this year when trials will be held in order to expand the current squad from its existing level of 24 boys to 36 boys.

The PSB tournament is also to be held this coming December, and a handful of our current Year 6 players may be asked to be involved in the tournament at the discretion of the current North Harbour Year 7 Convenor (who will be the North Harbour PSB (Year 8) Convenor by that time).

The remaining squad (at least 30+ boys) will be involved in games against other Clubs and Districts through late 2010 / early 2011 much as they have been this season.

I'm also intending to facilitate a Voluntary Spring Training Academy that will be held in approximately August/September 2010 involving the current squad and trialists for the extended squad. The academy will focus on basic batting and bowling technique. The program is likely to be operated by the Takapuna Coach, Neil Fletcher and be held at the Massey University nets. More detail will be provided once the program is firmed up and North Harbour Junior Cricket approval received.

Teams v Parnell Sunday March 7th

2010-02-15T07:47:00.019+13:00

At our request Parnell have agreed to field two even teams, Parnell 6 Gold and Parnell 6 Maroon for our matches. I've been endeavouring through-out the season where possible to spread opportunity amongst the squad. In this fixture I am taking the opportunity to move some of the middle / middle/lower order batsman up the order to give them further opportunities.

North Harbour Burgundy
Gray Hardy
Harrison Caldwell
Mitchell Bremner
Keiran Young
Greg Vukets
Ryan Schierhout (c)
Adrian Young
Jack Clothier (wk)
Mitchell Watts
Jonty Hawkins
Tom Barham

North Harbour Black
Dylan Stevenson
Jacob Scott
Asher Robb (wk)
Nathaniel Law
Ashton Howard
Angus McKenzie (c)
Ryan Quinn
Jack Collinson
Liam Brown
Travis Van Gysen
Toby Robb

Should anyone be unavailable for this fixture please advise.

Unavailable
Will Cole
Keegan Russell
Max Dewe (Unfortunately Max got injured before his first game for North Harbour, see you next week though Max)

The matches are to be played at Bay City Park in Anderson Rd, off East Coast Bays Rd. The matches are to start at 9am, please be there by 8.15am.

View Larger Map

v Taranaki: February 28th

2010-02-14T21:33:00.012+13:00

We have a return match against Taranaki on February 28th. The location is: Hato Petera College (C) Art. No. 1. located on College Rd.

View Larger Map

The team is as follows:

Gray Hardy
Mitchell Bremner
Angus McKenzie (c)
Nathaniel Law
Ashton Howard
William Cole
Dylan Stevenson
Jacob Scott
Jack Collinson
Mitchell Watts
Jonty Hawkins

Greg Vukets (unavailable)

The game will start at 9am, please be there at 8.15am.

The after match is to be held at the Takapuna Cricket Club club rooms located on Northcote Rd.

Result v University

2010-02-14T20:02:00.008+13:00

The team put in a meritorious performance, the best performance of the season, in a thrilling game to tie with University on the last ball.

Firstly, about University. University have three teams in Auckland's Year 6 Top 8 competition. Two of the University teams sit first and second on the ladder. The University team we played was comprised of the best boys from their three teams, some of the best boys in Auckland.

It was going to be a tough game, an excellent test, and a test of just how far the boys have developed during the course of the season.

University batted first and their batting quality was evident, but we stuck to our game and restricted them to a competitive total of 150/8 in 30 overs. Unfortunately we bowled with a wet ball and that made it tough, but the bowling was generally good in the circumstances, and while a few catches went down that was understandable given the ball. The fielding was tight, but the University boys ran very well, easily getting 20 or 30 extra runs through aggressive running.

We batted very well, and we were on top going into the last several overs, needing five or six an over with several wickets in hand. The major learning point to take away from the game is that in this situation it is not about hitting fours to win the game, it is about getting bat on ball, running aggressively and turning over the strike. We got tied down (by some good bowling) and tended to look for the "big shot".

Needing eight in the last over to win it looked just out of our reach, but needing three off the last ball to win we were gifted a run through a no ball although we had a run-out. It was chaos. One ball, two to win and the ball was edged in the air to short third man and though the fielder dropped it he recovered well. As we raced back for the second (and winning!) run the fielder gathered himself and threw in a perfect throw over the stumps. We were run out by a metre and missed the winning run, but had a tie which was a fair result.

The boys should be very proud of themselves, the improvement in their individual games and the team performance has certainly made the Convenor proud. Well done boys.

University 150/8 in 30 overs (Adrian Young 4 overs, 2-13, Angus McKenzie 4 overs, 0-13)
North Harbour 150/6 in 30 overs (Angus McKenzie 38 ret (50), Ryan Schierhout 32 ret (36), Ryan Quinn 16 (22), Jack Clothier 20 (28)

v University: February 14th

2010-02-04T20:24:00.002+13:00

There is a fixture against University on Sunday February 14th which is to be played at Colin Maiden Park (the new home of Auckland Cricket.)

The game starts at 8.45am, please be there by 8am.

The team is as follows:
Angus McKenzie (c)
Toby Robb
Gray Hardy
Ryan Schierhout
Ryan Quinn
Jack Clothier
William Cole
Ashton Howard
Asher Robb (wk)
Adrian Young
Keiran Young

Let me know if you are unavailable.

Wanganui Day 4.

2010-02-04T09:34:00.000+13:00

A big thanks again to Kevin Russell for the all the photo's below.

Day 3 Afternoon

2010-02-03T22:22:00.002+13:00

Day 3 morning

2010-02-03T22:22:00.001+13:00

Day 2: Afternoon

2010-02-03T22:21:00.001+13:00

Photo's from Day 2: morning

2010-02-03T16:19:00.001+13:00

Day 1 Photo's

2010-02-03T16:18:00.001+13:00

Warm up game v Taranaki

2010-02-03T16:16:00.001+13:00

Wanganui Overview

2010-01-27T10:02:00.002+13:00

The Wanganui tournament playing philosophy was that we wanted to give the designated batsman and bowlers as much batting and bowling as possible in order to begin to develop boys into the roles they will have in future years. Complementing that on a game by game basis we moved a player or two around to ensure they each received a good opportunity to bat or bowl. A record of balls faced by each boy and overs bowled was kept and by the conclusion of the tournament all boys had had more than a fair share of opportunities.

The cricketing awareness of the boys developed substantially over the course of the tournament. Many of their basic skills appeared to improve. The most significant improvement was the overall standard of batting. The boys learnt the concept of playing a role within a team. The team also learnt and implemented advanced fielding techniques – for example – an “in-out” field instead of a ring field, and much other learning too place.

The game results were unimportant, but in summary we chased totals in the first three games and came up three, seven and four runs short respectively in each game. The boys enjoyed the games immensely and their heads were high despite the losses. In the following two games we had comfortable wins and in the last game were comfortably beaten by probably the strongest team in the tournament, Eastern Districts.

Game results
Game 1 v Horowhenua Kapiti
Horowhenua Kapiti 131/3 (Liam Brown 6 overs, 3-29)
North Harbour 128/5 in 30 overs (Ryan Quinn 31 ret (45), Jack Clothier 22 (33))
A loss by 3 runs.

Game 2 v Tauranga
Tauranga 163/3 (Grant Celliers 6 overs, 2-21)
North Harbour 156/7 (Ryan Schierhout 30 ret (35) Ryan Quinn 31 ret (39), Jack Clothier 37 ret (49)
A loss by 7 runs.

Game 3 v Cornwall
Cornwall 135 (Benjamin Beecroft 4 overs, 4-16, Keiran Young 4 overs, 3-14)
North Harbour 156/7 (Benjamin Beecroft 30 ret (28), Jack Clothier 28 (29))
A loss by 4 runs.

Game 4 v Te Puke Mount
Te Puke Mount 85 (Adrian Young 3 overs, 3-15, Liam Brown 3 overs, 2-7)
North Harbour 86/7 (Grant Celliers 22 (60)
A win by 3 wickets.

Game 5 v Manawatu White
North Harbour 180/7 (Benjamin Beecroft 27 (22), Ryan Schierhout 31 ret (26)
Manawatu White 143 all out (Toby Robb 3 overs, 3-12, Ryan Quinn 5 overs, 2-24)
A win by 37 runs.

Game 6 v Eastern Districts
Eastern Districts 255/5 (Adrian Young 6 overs, 2-20)
North Harbour 180/7 (Ryan Quinn 28 (24), Toby Robb 27 (38)
A loss by 75 runs.

Photo's from Counties games

2009-12-09T08:21:00.001+13:00

Some more great shots from Kevin Russell.

Cricket Coaches in North Harbour for one on one coaching

2009-12-07T16:23:00.027+13:00

Parents,

Further to various requests from you as to who I recommend for one on one coaching, refer to the list below. I know each of these coaches personally, apart from one, and I can happily recommend them. It is best if you look first to your Club Coach, however if they are not available or don't meet your needs, there are others to choose from. I'm very supportive of and I think this is great time for the boys to start having one on one coaching particularly on batting, even if it is just a session or two, as it gives them something to work on. Good batting technique becomes increasingly important.

Club affiliated Coaches

Neil Fletcher

Takapuna Premier Coach, Auckland U17.
coach@takapunacricket.co.nz
M: 0274 476211
Cost: $40/hr or $60/hr including use of Massey Albany nets (and bowling machine if required)
Neil is a Level 3 coach, and specialises in spin (part of the New Zealand spin program) and batting.
Neil may be very busy through to April 2010 with his team obligations.

David Wigley

East Coast Bays Premier Coach
David is now returning to the UK and a new Club Coach will be appointed in due course.

Bruce Warner

North Shore Cricket Club Coach
brucewarner@northshorecricket.co.nz
Cost: $40/hr
Bruce is a Level 2 Coach who coaches all aspects. Bruce is available for one on one coaching at present.

Gareth Jacob

Auckland U14 Manager, Hibiscus Coast Coach and Kristin School Coach.
info@mrcricket.co.nz
Cost: $
Gareth is a Level 2 Coach and coaches all aspects. Gareth may be available for one on one coaching at present.

Andrew Parkinson

Birkenhead Coach
M: 021 469 985
Cost: $40/hr
Andrew Played for Auckland "B".
Andrew is a Level 2 Coach and coaches all aspects. Andrew may be available for one on one coaching at present.

Other Coaches

Johan Kirstein

Westlake Boys High School Ist XI Coach
jkirstein@westlake.school.nz
Cost: $60/hr, usually held at Westlake nets.
Johan is a Level 3 Coach who coaches all aspects (strengths in batting and pace bowling). Johan is available for one on one coaching at present.

Shoruban Pasupati

Auckland Under 15 Development Coach, Spin bowling Winter Academy coach for Auckland cricket, North Harbour Under 17, Sacred Heart College Year 8 Premier division coach.
shoruban@yahoo.com
Mobile: 021 1677029
Cost: $60/hr or $70/hr Indoors.
Shoruban is currently undertaking his Level 3 coaching course. Shoruban coaches all aspects and has particualar expertise as a specialist spin bowling coach. Shoruban is available for one on one coaching at present.

Nick White

Rangitoto College Ist XI Coach and Auckland U14 Coach.
whiten@rangitoto.school.nz; nickjw8@yahoo.co.uk
Cost: $30/hr including use of Rangitoto College nets (indoor and outdoor).
Nick is a Level 2 Coach, and coaches all aspects.
Nick may be very busy through to April 2010 with his team obligations.

Andrew Niblett

Westlake Boys High specialist fast bowling coach, North Harbour U/15 A, assisted North Harbour U/17 Winter academy.
andrew.niblett@gmail.com
Mobile: 021 222 0057
Cost: $50/hr, $30/half hour.
Andrew played first class cricket for Central Districts and coaches all aspects, particularly medium fast bowling. Andrew is a Level 2 Coach. Andrew is available for one on one coaching at present.

v Counties, results

2009-12-06T19:54:00.015+13:00

Hi Boys,

A pretty relaxed and enjoyable day today and some good results with three wins in four games.

The Coaches and I asked for more intensity and energy in the field, and "positive support". Across the four matches played there was a good improvement in that area - well done.

Again today the focus was on continuing to give you opportunities to all bat and bowl. It does take a while to adjust from your normal Saturday games to this representative cricket where you are playing with and against boys of similar ability. It was therefore good to see some boys, who had opportunities today and clearly have potential and talent, but had not performed in previous North Harbour games, put in strong performances.

Game 1:
North Harbour Black: 79/4 in 20 overs. Liam 24 (34), Jacob 12n.o (23)
Counties North 80/3 in 18 overs. Jacob 2 overs, 2-4, Benjamin 2 overs, 0-5, Adrian, 2 overs, 0-5
Counties North win by 7 wickets.

Game 2:
North Harbour Burgundy 89/6 in 20 overs. Ashton 21 (26), Ryan Q 24n.o (21)
Counties South 57/9 in 20 overs. Keegan, 2 overs 2-0, Travis, 2 0vers 1-2, Grant,2 overs 1-5, Jack 2 overs, 1-4
North Harbour Burgundy win by 42 runs.

Game 3:
North Harbour Black 100/5 in 20 overs. Gray 24n.o. (29), Ryan S 23 (15), Toby 15 (24)
Counties 90/9 in 20 overs. Gray, 2 overs, 2-2. Mitchell W 2 overs, 1-4, Toby 2 overs, 1-5
North Harbour Black win by 10 runs.

Game 4:
North Harbour Burgundy 100/4 in 20 overs. Keegan 30 (60), Angus 42ret (36).
Counties North 74 all out in 19 overs. Asher, 2 0vers, 2-7, Mitchell B, 2 0vers 2-14, Angus 2 overs, 1-2, Greg 2 overs 0-2, Travis 2 0vers, 0-2.
North Harbour Burgundy win by 26 runs.

In the New Year each of you will probably play four matches and each match will be up to 45 overs. The reason for the increase is we want to encourage batsman to construct innings and learn to bat for longer. On the bowling side, bowlers will have longer bowling spells - again an opportunity for you to learn. There will be less rotation in the New Year, and you will begin to play in specialist positions more. What this means is that if you are a batter, don't necessarily expect to bowl, and if you are a bowler don't necessarily expect to bat!

Enjoy your Christmas, and make sure you think about your Mum and Dad, it is them who make this all possible for you.

The next game back in the New Year is on February 14th.

Post Christmas Preliminary Match Schedule

2009-12-02T14:28:00.012+13:00

Preliminary schedule:

Sunday January 17th: v Taranaki @ Peringa Park, Fitzroy, 30-35 overs, start time: 1pm.

Monday January 18th to Thursday January 21st: Wanganui Tournament

Sunday February 14th: v University @ Colin Maiden Park, 35 overs, start time: 8.45am (one team)

Sunday February 28th: v Taranaki @ Hato Petera College (C) Art. No. 1 (one team)

Sunday March 7th: v Parnell @ Freyberg

Sunday March 14th: v Cornwall @ Sunnynook

Sunday March 21st: v Western Districts @ Sunnynook

Wanganui Squad 2010

2009-12-01T10:40:00.004+13:00

The squad selected to play the Wanganui tournament in the U11 age group section from January 18th to January 21st 2010 is as follows:

Toby Robb
Keegan Russell
Benjamin Beecroft
Ryan Schierhout
Jack Clothier
Ryan Quinn
Asher Robb
Kieran Young
Adrian Young
Grant Celliers
Travis van Gysen
Liam Brown

Unavailable
Angus McKenzie
Ashton Howard

Cornwall Photo's

2009-11-30T09:32:00.000+13:00

v Cornwall, results

2009-11-29T17:48:00.009+13:00

Hi Boys

We came up against a couple of good Cornwall teams today and shared the honours with them, a reasonable result over-all.

It is a good experience for you to be playing away at a different location - I hope you enjoyed it, and Melville Park was a nice setting to play cricket - many thanks to Cornwall.

Before the matches we talked about working on a few of the things we learnt from the Manukau game - turning the strike over, backing up and running positively, being positive and alert in the field, pitching the ball up and on one side of the wicket.

I think we improved in some area's and slipped in others.

Burgundy
Burgundy was playing the stronger of the two Cornwall teams. In the Burgundy game Cornwall bowled first, and bowled well - at good pace with movement and accuracy. We were under pressure early and lost wickets regularly right through-out the innings. The run rate was good though, but the loss of wickets proved costly as we didn't have enough wickets in hand to attack over the last several overs and worse still we were bowled out in the 32nd over. We've talked before about batting through the innings...

Jack Clothier, Ryan S and Keegan top-scored with 20 (23), 19 (19), and 15 (27) respectively. Many of you got a start, but couldn't push on. We only had one partnership of significance. We need to aim to have one or two boys scoring 40ret in the games and put together good partnerships through-out the innings.

We posted, on this wicket, a lowish score of 140 which was defensible if we bowled and fielded well. Unfortunately, we did neither well. We appeared flat in the field, and some of the senior players in particular need to step up and provide more "talk" and positive support in the field. The wicket-keeper needs to be the centre of the fielding effort, and be vocal and positive.

As we weren't alert, we missed a couple of catches we should have taken. Catches change games.

As with the game against Manukau, the bowling was too loose - and against quality batsmen like the Cornwall boys you're going to be punished for short bowling or bowling down leg-side.

Cornwall comfortably reached the score of 142/3 in the 29th over. Ryan Q bowled well, 5ov, 0-12, as did Angus with 4ov, 0-7.

Angus also did a good job with the Captaincy today.

So, while there is significant amount to work on we also need to remember that we came up against very good opposition today, and you can only play as well as your opposition lets you. Cornwall is traditionally one of the strongest Clubs in Auckland with over 1,000 Juniors and these boys have the benefit of playing in the Auckland Premier Year 6 competition where they are playing good competitive cricket every Saturday week in week out. The Cornwall teams are doing very well this year in that competition, and they deserve congratulations for their good performance and well earned win today. And to put in in perspective, one Yr 6 team also had a loss against Cornwall last year. All going well, we may see them for a re-match in the New Year.

Finally, I am pleased again to say that I saw other good examples of sportsmanship from you today - well done.

North Harbour Burgundy 140 all out in 32 overs
Cornwall A 142/3 in 29 overs.

A good win to Cornwall by 7 wickets.

Black
As with Burgundy we staggered through-out the innings losing wickets reasonably regularly until we reached 120/9 in 35 overs, not enough runs but something to defend. We benefited from some 50 extra's in the innings. Adrian's batting was the anchor for the innings, scoring 27 (74). William and Jonty contributed 14 (27) and 13 (59) respectively. We lacked 40's and partnerships.

And this is where the Burgundy and Black games depart.

Black were positive in the field from the first ball and there was good talk and energy. Our opening bowlers Adrian and Grant did a good job, bowling fast and accurately. Grant was rewarded with figures of 3overs, 2-2. Liam later followed that up with 2overs, 2-4, and William 2overs, 2-11. Some of the other bowling was tight, Jacob, 3overs, 1-3, Travis, 2 overs 1-1.

Of course, it helps to be taking wickets to get a good vibe in the field, but I also saw a couple of very good catches in the field - one in particular from Jonty, and these moments can make all the difference.

The Cornwall batting was possibly not as good as the Cornwall batting in the Burgundy game, but you still bowled well and with good accuracy. The result of this good positive attitude, taking your chances, and bowling accurately was that you bowled out Cornwall for just 83, and you ended up with a well deserved win.

North Harbour Black 120/9 in 35 overs
Cornwall B 83 all out.

A win to North Harbour Black.

Well done team.

As always thanks to team coaches for the day Peter and Daryl, and Layne. The scorers - Matt Hawkins, Peter Robb, and Richard Clothier, and to the umpires Grant McKenzie, Daryl and Bill and to anyone else I've left out.

v Counties, December 6th

2009-11-18T12:21:00.014+13:00

We are playing Counties on Sunday December 6th: 10:30am start, Venue: Mountfort Park, Manurewa. Please be there by 9.45am.

Burgundy and Black are to play two 20/20 games each against two Counties teams. Burgundy and Black are shown below and the names in each team are listed in batting order. We're also take the opportunity to give different boys captaincy and wicket-keeping experience.

For Burgundy and Black's second game the batting order will be completely changed again, and we'll advise of details on the day.

Black
Liam Brown (wk)
Gray Hardy
Mitchell Watts
Nathaniel Law
Jacob Scott
Dylan Stevenson
William Cole
Adrian Young
Kieran Young
Ryan Schierhout (wk game 2)
Benjamin Beecroft (c)
Toby Robb

Burgundy
Greg Vukets
Ashton Howard
Travis Van Gysen
Grant Celliers
Mitchell Bremner
Jack Clothier (c)
Ryan Quinn (wk game 2)
Jonty Hawkins
Angus McKenzie
Asher Robb (wk)
Keegan Russell

Unavailable
Jack Collinson

v Cornwall, November 29th

2009-11-16T09:26:00.006+13:00

We have two matches against Cornwall "A" and Cornwall "B" on Sunday November 29th to be played at Melville Park in Epsom. The matches start at 9.00am, be there by 8.15am

Burgundy (to play Cornwall "A")
Toby Robb
Keegan Russell
Benjamin Beecroft
Angus McKenzie (c)
Ryan Schierhout
Asher Robb (wk)
Jack Clothier
Greg Vukets (wk)
Ryan Quinn
Kieran Young
Dylan Stevenson

Black (to play Cornwall "B")
Mitchell Bremner (wk)
Jack Collinson
Adrian Young
William Cole
Liam Brown
Mitchell Watts
Jonty Hawkins (wk)
Travis van Gysen (c)
Grant Celliers
Jacob Scott
Nathaniel Law
Gray Hardy

Unavailable:
Ashton Howard (injury)

You will need your normal kit, and CRICKET BOOK.

v Manukau: Results

2009-11-15T19:46:00.010+13:00

Boys,

The weather wasn't very supportive of cricket today but you battled through it well.

Manukau turned up with two "even" teams so we adjusted Burgundy and Black before play to create two equally strong teams and you accepted those late team changes well.

Overall boys I think you had a good day. I thought the standard you played at was considerably higher than the inter-squad game - a good improvement - one of our main goals. Despite that, there is still plenty to improve on and learn, so read through the results below and try and learn from it.

Black's game

The Black team had an excellent all round day.

As with the Burgundy game, we batted first. The openers were solid and scored 30 off the first ten overs. By the 20th over we were on 70 with-out the loss of any wickets. Toby eventually retired for 40 off 84 balls, and Keegan scored 32 from 55 balls.

Benjamin batting at number three scored an excellent 41ret from 35 balls which accelerated the scoring. He was followed by Ashton 15n.o. (15) and Greg 22n.o (15) who produced an ideal last partnership leading to a very good score of 188/3 from 40 overs.

The batting learning points are that early in the innings we need to work on turning the strike over by looking for singles and we need to always be aware of the game situation and the fact that we need to change our play in different situations. For example, if our coach wants us to pick up the run rate and play more aggressively, that is what we must do, not worry about getting out.

The running between the wickets also needs work. We need more backing up and positively looking for any opportunity to turn a "dot ball" into a single and single into a two.

You bowled Manukau out for 102, a great effort with what was by then a wet, slippery ball. There was some top bowling from Travis, 3 overs, 2-8, Mitchell Bremner, 2 overs, 2-4, Jacob, 2 overs, 2-4.

The fielding appeared to be very good, you seemed to be concentrating well and you were rewarded with three run-outs and took some good catches. The team was well led by Travis and assisted by Benjamin.

I think at times we tried to bowl too fast and that resulted in us bowling too short, which gifted them runs. I would rather you bowl too full than too short. We'd like to see the pace bowlers trying to bowl a good length to a full length on our outside the off stump.

Before the game we talked about values, one of which was respect and the other sportsmanship. I was very pleased to see that in action today, for example, when you clapped Manukau's best batsman off the field after he was out and after he had batted well.

Overall this was a very good performance though and you should be proud of yourselves.

North Harbour Black 188/3 in 40 overs.
Manukau 102 all out in 27 overs.

Burgundy's game

Burgundy batted first and struggled early on in the face of some good, tight bowling. Generally speaking, 30 off the first 10 overs is a minimum target, but it took us until the 16th over to reach 30 and by then we were two down.

Ryan Schierhout came in at number four and scored an excellent 45 ret from 48 balls which provided some great momentum to the innings. Asher 20 (27), Kieran 22n.o. (54), and Nathaniel 23n.o (36) finished the innings well and we ended up with a very respectable 150 from our 40 overs, although I think we could have pushed it more in the final five overs.

The batting learning points, as with Black, are that we need to work on turning the strike over by looking for singles, particularly early in the innings, and we need to always be aware of the game situation and the fact that we need to change our play in different situations. In particular, we need to pick up the scoring rate when the game requires us to.

The bowling and fielding effort started reasonable well with Manukau restricted to 25 off ten overs. However,as the rain fell, and the ball got soaked, it made bowling very difficult. Manukau were able to both pick up their run rate and conserve their wickets. To give Manukau credit they batted well as they turned the strike over and put the bad ball away.

There were some very good bowling performances amongst our bowlers, Kieran 4 overs, 3-18, Asher 2 overs, 0-2, Jack 2 overs, 0-5, Ryan Quinn, 4 overs 0-7, Jonty 2 overs 1-3 however Manukau comfortable reached the target in the 35th over.

The fielding/bowling points: I saw too much short bowling, which was easily picked off. The same comments as for Black apply: pitch it up.

The fielding was reasonable, but I think that you need to make sure you are concentrating on the game and are staying fully "switched on" for the whole game. The conditions were difficult, but you need to focus on the job.

Overall though, again, a good improvement from the inter-squad and while, of course, we want to win games, it is the improvement we are looking for.

North Harbour Burgundy 150 in 40 overs.
Manukau, 150/5 in 35 overs.

A big thanks to the Coaches "on duty" today, Layne, Grant and Peter, to the scorers - Peter Robb - a full game, Matt Hawkins and Kelvin Stevenson with a half game each, and the umpires including Layne, Grant, Peter and Dave Vukets.

v. Manukau, November 15th

2009-11-04T10:19:00.030+13:00

The two games against Manukau will be played on November 15th. The matches are to be held at Sunnynook Park.

There is car-parking in the car-park off Sunnynook Road.

We are intending to get started at 9:00am, so please be there by 8:15am at the latest. We intend to be finished by about 1.30pm.

Burgundy (to play Manukau "A")
Dylan Stevenson
Ryan Quinn
Benjamin Beecroft
Angus McKenzie (c)
Ryan Schierhout
Gray Hardy
Mitchell Bremner (wk)
Asher Robb (wk)
Kieran Young
Adrian Young
Liam Brown

Black (to play Manukau "B")
Toby Robb
Keegan Russell
Jacob Scott
Grant Celliers
Ashton Howard
Greg Vukets (wk)
Jonty Hawkins (wk)
Mitchell Watts
Jack Collinson
Travis van Gysen (c)
Nathaniel Law

Unavailable
Jack Clothier
William Cole

Make sure you bring your CRICKET BOOK, whites, your full gear bag, hats, sun cream and plenty of water.

Inter-squad photo's

2009-11-01T20:03:00.009+13:00

Many many thanks to Kevin Russell for getting these shots for us.

Note: double click on the slide show and it will open up in a new window showing all the photo's which you can then enlarge, making it easier to see.

Inter-squad game

2009-11-01T18:55:00.012+13:00

We had some great weather today and the boys were able to show some of their potential. Black batted first and there was some good tight bowling from Grant and Liam which saw Black struggling at 22/3. A couple of good partnerships followed with Benjamin (30) , Asher (14) and Jack Clothier (22) getting Black back into the game, although Black were eventually dismissed for 111 in the 31st over. Greg and Ryan Q finished with a couple of wickets (both 2-7) and Angus, Toby and Gray had very economical figures. The catching was stunning, one in particular from Jacob, and some other fantastic catches were taken.

The main lesson to learn is to make sure you use up all of your available overs in the future.

Burgundy started well with a solid opening partnership that saw Angus (24) and Toby (6) retire after ten overs. The bowling from Adrian and Travis was tight. The "two Ryan's" batted well before both retired with 21 and 18 respectively. There was some other good tight bowling through this period from Ashton, Jack Clothier, Asher and Benjamin, and Keegan chimed in with 2-15. Burgundy though eventually passed the Black score in the 32nd over for a good win.

Black created many chances but there were several catches dropped. Ultimately this was the difference. Catches win matches.

Black 111 all out in 31 overs
Burgundy 113/3 in 32 overs

A big thanks to the coaches, umpires (Kelvin and Leon), and scorers (Jos and Lisa), Bill for the fine BBQ, and Sarah for providing the medical kit.

A little bit of cricketing "homework" boys, try and learn the main fielding positions shown by the red dot on the image below.

A good day had by all and well done to all the boys and parents and I'll be seeing you all again soon.

Inter-squad game: November 1 2009 @ Wainoni Park North, Greenhithe

2009-10-23T10:48:00.022+13:00

The inter-squad game is to be held at Wainoni Park North, in Greenhithe, off Churchouse Rd. We are playing on Field 1 - the bottom field closest to the road.

We are looking to get started at 9:00am, so please be there by 8:30am at the latest. This will be a 35 over game played under NHY6 Saturday rules. We intend to be finished by about 1pm.

View Larger Map

The Teams

Grant & Daryl’s XII
Angus McKenzie
Toby Robb
Ryan Quinn
Gray Hardy
Ryan Schierhout
Jacob Scott
Kieran Young
Greg Vukets (wk)
Jonty Hawkins (wk)
Mitchell Watts
Grant Celliers
Liam Brown

Layne & Peter’s XII
Dylan Stevenson
Keegan Russell
Mitchell Bremner (wk)
Benjamin Beecroft
William Cole
Asher Robb (wk)
Jack Clothier
Jack Collinson
Ashton Howard
Nathaniel Law
Travis Van Gysen
Adrian Young

Please let me know if you are unavailable as soon as possible to allow me to organise replacements. Make sure you bring whites, your full gear bag, hats, sun cream and plenty of water.

North Harbour Year 6 squad: 2009/2010

2009-10-22T18:50:00.014+13:00

The North Harbour Year 6 squad of 24 boys has been selected. Firstly, for those of you who didn’t make the squad this year, don’t worry. Many cricketers weren’t involved in rep teams until they were older including Shane Warne, for example, who was 15 when he was first involved in rep cricket. You guys are only 10.

I will be keeping a regular eye on all boys through-out the coming season and seeing how you progress. I will also need to bring boys into the squad from time to time as injuries and other commitments will mean that the squad is short of players.

It is also worth being aware that with-in two years (PSB – Year 8) we’ll be looking for a squad of 48 players to play in the Auckland regional tournament. There are plenty of opportunities to come.

If you can take two things away from the trials, the first is to make sure you continue to enjoy your cricket. The second is that, in order to really making a big improvement, it is a great idea to start working hard on your technique – particularly batting technique. It is then a matter of practice, practice, practice, play, and enjoy.

Thanks and have a wonderful season.

North Harbour Year 6: 2009 / 2010

Adrian Young (Hibiscus Coast)
Angus Mckenzie (North Shore)
Asher Robb (East Coast Bays)
Ashton Howard (North Shore)
Benjamin Beecroft (East Coast Bays)
Dylan Stevenson (East Coast Bays)
Grant Celliers (East Coast Bays)
Gray Hardy (North Shore)
Greg Vukets (East Coast Bays)
Jack Clothier (East Coast Bays)
Jack Collinson (North Shore)
Jacob Scott (East Coast Bays)
Jonty Hawkins (Birkenhead)
Keegan Russell (Takapuna)
Kieran Young (East Coast Bays)
Liam Brown (Kumeu)
Mitchell Bremner (North Shore)
Mitchell Watts (North Shore)
Nathaniel Law (Birkenhead)
Ryan Schierhout (East Coast Bays)
Ryan Quinn (East Coast Bays)
Toby Robb (North Shore)
Travis Van Gysen (East Coast Bays)
William Cole (North Shore)

To those boys who have made the squad, congratulations, there is a lot of talent amongst you. I'll be in contact shortly with details regarding our inter-squad game on Sunday November 1st.

Second trial: Thursday October 22nd

2009-10-19T13:13:00.008+13:00

The second trial is confirmed for Thursday October 22nd: 4.30pm to 6.00pm at the Massey University, Albany nets. Please be there by 4.15pm.

The players to attend are:
Alex Kelly
Conaugh Jacob
Giles La Ville
Greg Vukets
Jack Clothier
Jack Collinson
Jacob Scott
Jonty Hawkins
Joshua Simpson
Max Dewe
Mitchell Watts
Nathaniel Law
Nick Francis
Tom Barham

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Preliminary NH Yr 6 Match Schedule

2009-09-15T09:00:00.009+12:00

Confirmed fixtures

Sunday November 1st: Inter-squad game; @ Wainoni Park. Greenhithe, time tba

Sunday November 15th: v Manukau; @ Sunnynook Park, Sunnynook, time tba

Sunday November 29th: v Cornwall; @ Melville Park, Epsom, time tba

Sunday December 13th: A possible date for another match although this will be subject to parents views.

Post Christmas Preliminary Match Schedule

A team from the squad will be selected to attend the Wanganui tournament.

Sunday January 3rd: v Taranaki; in Taranaki (Warm-up game)

Monday January 4th to 7th: Wanganui Tournament

Sunday Trial Time change, Cricket Bats

2009-08-26T09:29:00.003+12:00

Sunday Trial Time

The Sunday trial times were originally listed as being from 10.30am to 1.30pm. Please note that the times are now Sunday: 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Your Cricket Bat

As the new season approaches, some of you may be thinking about getting a new bat. If you are, I have a couple of suggestions.

Firstly, the bat should be made of English Willow. English Willow is far superior to any other wood type. Try and stay away from Kashmir Willow. With a good bat, you get value for your shots. With a poor bat, you can play a good shot, and the ball will not leave the bat with any power.

Secondly, bat size, don't ever get a bat that is too big with a view to "growing into it". If anything a bat should be slightly smaller than what you need. The size you choose depends upon how it feels to you, your height and strength.

The problem with a bigger bat is often, if you're not physically up to handling it, you have less bat speed and you will find the ball is past you before you've completed your shot. You'll also lack control and finesse, and not be able to play a range of shots as effectively.

With a smaller bat you are likely to get greater "bat speed" through the ball and the bat speed propels the ball away.

I know a boy (and his father) who last season thought the boy needed a new bat. He used a Size 3, so of course they got him got a Size 5 thinking if he was ready for a Size 4 then he may as well get a Size 5. Champs told him they didn't really think he needed a new bat. He swung it around in the shop and was really happy with it. After he'd knocked it in and had a few net sessions he played a few games and his timing was completely out (as was he cheaply a few times). He's now back using the Size 3, still not ready for the Size 5, and probably won't be until next year at the earliest.

Buy English Willow, and don't get a bat that is too big.

North Harbour Year 6 trial details

2009-08-18T14:49:00.040+12:00

The purpose of North Harbour Year 6 representative cricket is to provide the boys with the opportunity to experience representative cricket, encourage player development and ensure player enjoyment.

I am currently arranging approximately eight (8) games for the squad against other regional teams and other Auckland Club teams. The games will be held on a Sunday during the period November to December this year, and February to March 2010. A team will also attend the "Wanganui" tournament in late January 2010.

In this first year of representative cricket I am seeking to select a group of boys that have the potential to be developed over the coming years. The key attributes I am looking for are therefore:

* Talent and potential,
* Positive attitude and enthusiasm,
* Good technique

The trials are to be held at the Massey University, Albany, indoor net facility which is contained within the Recreation Centre.

The trials will begin with a basic fielding session followed by a general net session where all boys will bat and bowl. The boys will need to wear their whites and have their full gear bag with them.

I'd like all boys to arrive 15 minutes prior to the commencement of the session and take a seat one level above the nets at the back of the training area.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Saturday October 17th, 10.30am to 12.00pm
Conaugh Jacobs
Greg Nimmo
Jack Clothier
Jacob Scott
Jarrod Fish
Jasper Edgar
Keegan Russell
Logan Parkinson
Mitchell Bremner
Mitchell Watts
Nathaniel Law
Ryan Quinn
Tom Barham

Saturday October 17th, 12.00pm to 1.30pm
Angus Mckenzie
Benjamin Beecroft
Caleb Hogan
Dylan Stevenson
Greg Vukets
Jonty Hawkins
James Maber
Joey Barnett
Mathew Hanson
Nathan Curran
Ryan Schierhout
Thomas Rangihuna
Trent Baker

Sunday October 18th, 1.30pm to 3.00pm
Alex Kelly
Asher Robb
Ashton Howard
Campbell Knowles
Corbin Cantel
Jonathon Kemp
Keiran Young
Max Dewe
Timothy Henderson
Timothy Morton-Jones
William Cole

Sunday October 18th, 3.00pm to 4.30pm
Adrian Young
Brandon Le Gros
Ethan Schaumkel
Giles La Ville
Grant Celliers
Gray Hardy
Jack Collinson
Liam Brown
Matthew Cox
Nick Francis
Toby Robb
Travis Van Gysen

Once the first series of trials are completed, further trial(s) may be called. Details will be provided in due course.

North Harbour Year 6 trialists 2009/2010

2009-08-15T20:51:00.013+12:00

The boys listed below have been nominated by their Clubs to trial for the North Harbour Year 6 squad for 2009/2010. A squad of 24 boys will be selected.

The trials will be held in October, with details to follow.

Nominees:
Adrian Young
Angus Mckenzie
Alex Kelly
Asher Robb
Ashton Howard
Benjamin Beecroft
Brandon Le Gros
Caleb Hogan
Campbell Knowles
Conaugh Jacob
Corbin Cantel
Dylan Stevenson
Ethan Schaumkel
Giles La Ville
Grant Celliers
Gray Hardy
Greg Nimmo
Greg Vukets
Jack Clothier
Jack Collinson
Jacob Scott
James Keene
James Maber
Jarrod Fish
Jasper Edgar
Joey Barnett
Jonathon Kemp
Jonty Hawkins
Keegan Russell
Keiran Young
Liam Brown
Logan Parkinson
Mathew Hanson
Matthew Cox
Max Dewe
Mitchell Bremner
Mitchell Watts
Nathan Curran
Nathaniel Law
Nick Francis
Ryan Schierhout
Ryan Quinn
Thomas Rangihuna
Tim Henderson
Timothy Morton-Jones
Toby Robb
Tom Barham
Travis Van Gysen
Trent Baker
William Cole

Welcome to NH Yr 6 2009/2010

2009-07-30T13:36:00.007+12:00

I'm Craig Beecroft, and I am the North Harbour Cricket Year 6 Convenor for the 2009/2010 season.

I'm "taking over" this blog from Rupert Lewis, who has moved onto the role of Year 7 Convenor.

I'm in the early stages of planning for the season ahead. Some of that work includes organising trials, selecting a squad, and organising representative games for the squad over the Summer.

The work on organising the trials and receiving nominations has commenced, and I'll be sure to stay in touch through this blog.

I hope you are all looking forward to what should be a fantastic season ahead!

Games v. Northland (Summary)

2009-03-30T07:34:00.002+13:00

Northland turned on the BBQ and the weather for a great day of cricket for our last game of the season. Everyone made the two hour trip in good spirits and the boys looked excited and keen to show off the skills they have developed over the season.

Northland have not had the opportunities that our boys have had and it was a credit to them that they were able to organise two teams from a large region. They were clearly excited about the chance of playing their first representative game and were a really enthusiastic bunch who played the game in the right spirit and kept fighting to the end.

At the end of the day, we had won both of our games easily and I was impressed by the way that we went about winning the games. We have come a cropper a couple of times this season against teams that we shouyld have beaten and it was satisfying that the boys concentrated and saw out the victories in both games. We played the full 30 overs, even though we had won the game, and it was great to see that this fact did not stop the Northland boys from giving 100%.

Andrew's XI
Northland batted first and there was a flurry of early wickets which had everyone thinking that it might be over sooner rather than later. However, they mustered well and one of their boys, Jake, set about going after our short pitch bowling. We were playing on full wickets and boundaries and many of the boys were not used to this, so it took a while to get our bowling lengths sorted. However, we did and Angus Nicoll and Steven Newey finished off a very strong end to the season with a fine bowling performances. The bowling was backed up by some very fine fielding - 10 catches and a run out! Having toppled their batting order in the 23rd over, we offered them the opportunity of making sure that everyone got a good bat and went on to 30 overs - which is why they ended up with 94/11.

It was a total that could have caused us a headache or two - the danger was that we would get bogged down thinking that we had plenty of time and not knock the runs off. However, Matt Strain and Chris Woodard started superbly and ticked the score over with some aggressive running between the wickets. After 10 overs we were 48/1 and were well on our way - in the end we were only to lose three wickets and managed to score 159 in our 30 overs. Everyone got a bat, even Faisal - who kept telling me he was never going to get a bat at number 11!

Northland 94/11 (Angus Nicoll 2/5, Steven Newey 2/7, Donald Coleman 1/13, Harry Bartlett 1/3, Rory Douglas 1/13, Chris Woodard 1/6, Matt Strain 1/9 and Luke Dewar 1/4) North Harbour Andrew 158/3 (Chris Woodard 32, Matt Strain 12, Kieran Seedal 22*, Rory Douglas 17*, Donald Coleman 11*)

Colin's XI
A similar story was unfolding on the other pitch although the wickets were not tumbling quite as quickly. The bowling and fielding was good, as the young Northland side struggled to get to grips with the higher level of cricket. A very creditable performance by Northland and, in particular, one young lad, Lewis, who fought bravely and retired on 33*. Everyone contributed in some way, however, they lasted the 30 overs and with 3 wickets in hand and it would have been nice to have bowled them out.

When it came to batting, we needed 93 to win from our 30 overs, this is the sort of total (as above) that can be awkward. We started slowly and probably could have learnt from Andrew's XI about pushing the singles. That being said, Northland were throwing themselves around in the field and did very well to keep the pressure on and Scotty Gannaway and Evan Cronje gave us a good start when we did not want to lose early wickets. They had some useful bowlers but, once our boys started to get on top, it was just a matter of time. As with the other game, everyone got a chance to bat, even though the game was finished by the 19th over. At the end of the innings we had scored 176/3 with some really strong batting performances from Evan Cronje, Eru Hudson, Max Lewis, Bjorn Wojt, Cole Briggs and Asher Robb.

Northland 92/7 (Bronson Marshall 1/6, Max Lewis 1/2, Evan Cronje 1/11, Jack Stevenson 2/12, Sam Hinds 1/14 and Cole Briggs 1/6) North Harbour Colin 176/3 (Scott Gannaway 12, Evan Cronje 27*, Eru Hudson 17*, Max Lewis 25*, Cole Briggs 12*, Bjorn Wojt 25* and Asher Robb 18*)

And finally ...
At the start of the day I asked the boys for two things - firstly, I wanted them to finish the season on a high with some good cricket and secondly, and most importantly, I wanted them to enjoy themselves. I am very happy to report that both were "ticked off". It has been a privelage to work with the boys over the season, they have been like sponges. I looked at the Northland sides and saw us about six months ago and then looked at how far they have come over this time. This is down to hard work from the boys and the commitment from you, the parents. It was a great way to end the season and hopefully you all have enjoyed it as much as I have. When I glanced over at Andrew's XI and saw that they had 8 slips and a gully in position for the final over, I gathered that they might be enjoying themselves a little bit.

Finally, I would like to thank Don Hastie and Colin Marshall, without whom it would have been a complete nightmare. We worked together as a team and discussed, sometimes late in to the night, technical (and not so technical) issues. Don't let them fool you in to thinking that they were back room staff - none of this would have been possible without them. Equally, Sue/Andrew/Nigel/Peter/Chris as scorers/umpires/photographers and you guys as support on the sidelines have been fantastic - do not underestimate the importance that you have all had on the development of the team.

Right! 2008/2009 Season is now officially closed - see you all in a couple of months time!

All the best,

Rupert

Gazebo?

2009-03-26T09:08:00.000+13:00

Apparently one of the pitches we are playing on does not have any shade - if anyone has a gazebo shade thing and wants to bring it up, that would be great.

Games v. Northland (29 March 2009)

2009-03-25T06:46:00.010+13:00

We are all go for this Sunday's game against Northland up at Kensington Park, Whangare i - the start time will be 10:30am, so we will need to try and be there for around 10:00am. I realise that this means an early start and it looks like a few people are looking at starting very early (7:00am - 7:30am) and then stopping at the BP Service Station (coffee) and then in Wellsford (breakfast) or something similar.

Kensington Park is massive, so the directions we have are: Entering Whangarei (Gull petrol station on left) stay on SH1 for approx 5kms (past Burger King on right) still on SH1 (aka"western Hills By-pass), as the dual lanes get to top of hill, turn right into Kensington Avenue (park should now be on your left). Just after the netball courts turn left into Park Avevue, past the new athletics track and you will see the Marist Rugby Club on your left - pull in to the carpark and you will no doubt see us/them hovering around there.

We will be using the Inter-Squad teams as the basis for these games and Colin Marshall and Andrew Nicoll will be managing these teams:

Colin's XI
Asher Robb
Bjorn Wojt
Bronson Marshall
Cole Briggs
Eru Hudson (Capt)
Evan Cronje
Jack Stevenson
Kit Freeman
Max Lewis
Sam Hinds
Scott Gannaway

Andrew's XI
Angus Nicoll
Chris Woodard
Donald Coleman
Faisal Ganchi
Harry Bartlett
Jake Skellern
Kieran Seedall
Luke Dewar
Matt Strain (Capt)
Rory Douglas
Steven Newey

Unavailable
Reid Hastie
Ben Reidy
Oliver Peterson

Inter-Squad Game (Slideshow)

2009-03-23T18:26:00.001+13:00

... fantastic day!

Inter-Squad Game (22nd March) - BBQ

2009-03-17T20:57:00.003+13:00

BBQ Update - I think that this is going to be quite difficult to organise effectively at this stage, so will just say that there will be a BBQ available and we will leave that everyone should bring their own (particularly if they are bringing the family or have special dietary requirements) and I will try and make sure that we have sasuages and bread for the players to have something after the game.

Inter-Squad Game (22nd March)

2009-03-17T20:46:00.004+13:00

The inter-squad game will be selected from the following players:

Asher Robb
Angus Nicoll
Bjorn Wojt
Bronson Marshall
Chris Woodard
Cole Briggs
Connor Stuart
Donald Coleman
Eru Hudson
Evan Cronje
Faisal Ganchi
Jack Stevenson
Jake Skellern
Kieran Seedall
Kit Freeman
Luke Dewar
Matt Strain
Max Lewis
Oliver Peterson
Rory Douglas
Sam Hinds
Steven Newey

Unavailable
Reid Hastie (Umpire)
Ben Reidy
Harry Bartlett

Season 2008/9 - Part 2.1.1.1

2009-03-17T07:35:00.003+13:00

Sunday 22nd March; Inter-Squad Game @ Devonport Domain #4 (9am Start)

Sunday 29th March; Games v. Northland @ Kensington Park, Whangarei (TBC)

Please keep an eye on this, as it will change!

Games v. Western Districts (15 March 2009 Slideshow)

2009-03-16T14:44:00.002+13:00

Once again a big thanks to Chris. I keep forgetting to thank him in advance at the games but, as always, he brightens up my chat. The only photo opportunity he missed was the "Family Umpire" ... Don and reid umpiring at the same time from the same end on different pitches (obviously). Would have been great to have got them both giving a batsman out at the same time - Chris you need to think about these opportunities or at least get photoshop working all night!

Games v. Western Districts (Summary)

2009-03-15T17:38:00.006+13:00

Before the game we spoke about how we wanted to do the basics right and how important it was that we worked together as a team. I am extremely proud to say that boys took everything we discussed on board today with both teams producing excellent performances. We will come across stronger sides than Western Districts but, we still need to work hard at our game to make sure that we play effectively and put these teams to the sword. This we did today and everyone contributed in some form or another. Well done to you all.

North Harbour Black

Having been beaten by this side a couple of weeks ago, there are a couple of ways that a team can react. Fortunately, North Harbour has the type of boys who know that they can do better and this was a particularly impressive performance. I have noted, in previous blogs, that the key to success lies in the strength of the team. We really proved this today with everyone giving their all in the field and in supporting their team mates.

The bowling was good although we did just lose a little focus after the drinks break and, if I was being hyper critical, I would still target the 18 wides and 9 no balls as an area that I would want us to work on. However, that aside, we seemed to take a wicket every 10 runs and at drinks we had them 68/6 but, like I said, the time after drinks is such a key period - you can either kill off the game or let them back in ... and we did the latter. Nothing dramatic but, at 82/8 it would have been nice to keep them under 100. Everyone bowled well and it was good to see Jake Skellern (2/11), and Connor Stuart (3/14) take wickets. As always, Angus Nicoll (1/27), Asher Rob (1/18) and Faisal (1/6) bowled with fire and brimstone - nothing better than quick bowlers charging in and hitting the deck hard.

We were left with a chase of 124 and Kit Freeman (15), Connor Stuart (24) and Kieran Seedal (26) did the majority of the damage - at 108/3 it left a little mopping up by the rest of the team with everyone doing what was asked of them. What was particularly impressive, was the way we were able to move things on - we did get bogged down but, just after the break we began to enjoy ourselves - like I said above, the break can be crucial and this time we used it to our favour and we finished the game off in the 25th over.

Once again a big thanks to Connor Stuart and Scott Gannaway for stepping in - both of whom have represented North Harbour a couple of times and have shown the strength in depth that North Harbour have. Scott Gannaway bowled and fielded very well but, did not get a chance to show his batting skills and Connor Stuart, as you will have read, had an excellent all round game - well done!

Western Districts B 124 All Out (Angus Nicoll 1/27, Faisal Ganchi 1/6, Asher Robb 1/18, Jake Skellern 2/11, Harry Bartlett 1/6, Connor Stuart 3/14) North Harbour Black 125/6 (Kit Freeman 15, Connor Stuart 24, Kieran Seedall 26)

North Harbour Black won by 4 wickets

North Harbour Burgundy

Batting first, having won the toss, Eru Hudson and Donald Coleman lead the team out with hopes of reaching the dizzy heights of 200 plus like our last game against Western Districts. This time it was not to be, they had strengthened their side and, had they not dropped so many catches, could have had us in a great deal more trouble. Eru was run out to a decision that I would have liked to have seen referred to the third umpire but, this is cricket and you are always going to get decisions that you don't agree with. Eru took it on the chin and to be fair the umpire was in a better position to see than we were. This meant that Chris Woodard was brought to the middle earlier than we would have liked. Chris has had good club form and for no real reason, struggled a bit at NH, so it was great to see him bat well and score a classy 24. At the other end Donald was peppering their fielders and made a useful 16 but, needs to learn to keep the ball on the ground.

Evan Cronje, similarly looking for NH form, and Steven Newey put on an excellent partnership and moved us to 84 before Evan (18) was bowled. After the departure of Evan and then Steven (25) we lost our way a bit and, credit to Western Districts, they really put the pressure on us. Our target total kept dropping ... 170 - 160 - 140 - 120!

Finally, we were turned over for 118 and we knew that we were going to have to bowl and field well. However, this is not a side that gives up easily and our strength throughout the season has been in this area. The boys did not disappoint! As is becoming our trademark, we put on a really spirited performance in the field. Right from the first ball we were on target and by drinks (17th over) they were 27/3. Everyone bowled well and the fielding was of the high standard that I have, almost, come to expect. At the end of the game, we had given away only 9 extras. It is difficult to single anyone out in particular but, Steven Newey and Chris Woodard both had double wicket maidens. However, the bowling figures were all outstanding and we bowled them out for 62.

I spoke to their coach afterwards and he talked about their missed chances, in particular early in our innings, but he had to admit that our bowling and fielding gave them absolutely nothing - they just could not get in to the game because we gave them nothing to hit.

North Harbour Burgundy 118 All Out (Donald Coleman 16, Chris Woodard 24, Steven Newey 25, Evan Cronje 18) Western Districts A 62 All Out (Oliver Peterson 1/12, Steven Newey 2/2, Max Lewis 1/14, Bronson Marshall 1/1, Jack Stevenson 1/14, Chris Woodard 2/0, Donald Coleman 1/4)

North Harbour won by 56 runs

Season 2008/9 - Part 2

2009-03-11T11:55:00.004+13:00

Unfortunately, it looks like our games against Northland and Hamilton will not now be happening. So that leaves us with the game this weekend against Western Districts ... however, I have managed to book Devonport Domain #4 (grass wicket) for the 22nd March and would like to finish the season with an inter-squad game.

I think that this would be an appropriate way to finish as this is how it started way back in October. What I would like to do is to mix the teams up and make sure that those that have not had much of a bat get to do so and similarly, those that have not bowled get a good chance to show what they can do. I might try and get the BBQ down there and perhaps, we can have a drink and a sausage after the game - let me know what you think.

For this weekend, we will make any calls on weather by 7am to allow for travelling time to Rosebank Road. Keep an eye on the old blog - only a few more weeks to go and you can get rid of me!

Games v. Western Districts (15 March 2009)

2009-03-09T15:54:00.009+13:00

This Sunday's game will be played at Eastdale Reserve in Avondale. We are looking at starting at 8:30am, so will need you guys there for just before 8am. Once again, if this changes or if the weather starts looking grim, I will keep you updated through the blog.

Bad news, I am afraid: Reid has broken his thumb and will be out for the rest of the season. I am sure that you will all join with me in wishing him a speedy recovery and hope that he will still come and cheer us on from the sidelines. This is a big loss to both North Harbour and ECB White, he has been a great captain, player and team mate - it has been a pleasure to have him in the squad. Further to this, I have just heard that Ben Reidy will be out for the rest of the season as well - equally, I would like to thank him for his valuable contribution to the squad. Fortunately we have no one else with "Reid" in their names, so we should be OK for the rest of the season.

North Harbour Burgundy
Eru Hudson (Captain)
Sam Hinds
Chris Woodard
Jack Stevenson
Evan Cronje
Oliver Peterson
Donald Coleman
Bronson Marshall
Cole Briggs (wk)
Max Lewis
Steven Newey

North Harbour Black
Angus Nicoll (Captain)
Kit Freeman
Kieran Seedall
Rory Douglas (wk)
Harry Bartlett
Jake Skellern
Bjorn Wojt
Asher Robb
Faisal Ganchi
Connor Stuart
Scott Gannaway

Unavailable
Reid Hastie
Matt Strain
Ben Reidy
Luke Dewar

Games v. Western Districts (Slideshow)

2009-03-02T21:02:00.002+13:00

My blog would be a very boring place if it wasn't for Chris Newey's photographic skills - I would like to thank him personally for his commitment to making this season's blog a much more interesting place to visit. Please remember that he misses half of Steven's game to take these photos - so don't be frightened going up to him at games and thanking him.

Games v. Western Districts (Summary)

2009-03-01T17:29:00.006+13:00

North Harbour Burgundy

What a difference two weeks make! I kept going on about it but, you guys looked like cricketers - you were organised, sharp, worked well as a team and looked like you were enjoying it. Excellent effort by everyone and in particular congratulations to Sam Hinds for a fantastic 50.

We won the toss and Reid Hastie decided to bat; a brave decision on a wet wicket/outfield particularly as, second ball, he was castled by one that kept low and skidded off the surface . However, the belief was in our ability to defend a total and it was justified as a good decision (unfortunately he was forced to leave the field early with a dislocated thumb and was not there at the end to enjoy his team's success) - we all hope that it is not too serious and he will be back soon.

Eru Hudson, who looked much better than his total suggested, Steven Newey (15) and Matt Strain (10) made useful contributions. But, it was the partnership(s) that Jack Stevenson (48 Not Out) and Sam Hinds (57 Not Out) put together that allowed us to score an incredible 205 of our 35 overs.

Western Districts were left with a massive 6 an over required run rate to win. They were never really in it and were finally bowled out for 73 in the 31st over. We were very good in the field, with some excellent ground fielding (3 run outs) and some fine catching. Everyone bowled really well - if I was being hyper critical; there were a few too many wides and I would like these to be eliminated from our bowling. However, that aside, Jack Stevenson can be proud of his day's work with 4 wickets to add to his batting. All the other bowlers were miserly (Bronson Marshall (0/7 from 5 overs) Eru Hudson (0/4 from 3 overs)) and it was good to see Max Lewis, Steven Newey and Chris Woodard all chip in with wickets.

All in all, a very fine performance by a team that looked like they were enjoying their cricket and showed the potential that they have. A very promising sign for the future of North Harbour cricket.

North Harbour Burgundy 205/9 from 35 overs (Sam Hinds 57 Not Out, Jack Stevenson 48 Not Out, Matt Strain 10, Steven Newey 15) Western Districts A 73 All Out (Jack Stevenson 4/14, Max Lewis 1/3, Steven Newey 1/10, Chris Woodard 1/11)

North Harbour won by 132 runs

North Harbour Black

The step between club cricket and representative cricket requires either regular exposure or developing a strong team bond - preferably both. Unfortunately, North Harbour Black has lacked the consistency of a regular side and a recent weather affected club season, so it has been difficult to build on the obvious skills that they all have individually and create a really strong competitive unit. This being said, I thought that they did extremely well today and set the Western District side a good total, which would have been much better if they had taken all the singles on offer. However, at a required rate of 4 an over, the bowlers and fielders need to really be on their best game and we bowled too many loose and wide balls.

We started off batting steadily (Kit Freeman, Connor Stuart, Luke Dewar, Rory Douglas and Kieran Seedall all looked very comfortable - until they got themselves out) but, really needed to push on and put some pressure on the field. I have said it before, and will say it again (I am sure!), we must look at turning dot balls in to 1's and 1's in to 2's. The running between the wickets was poor and we were still going at just over 3.5 per over after 28 overs. However, Jake Skellern (21) and Bjorn Wojt (20) finally put on the afterburners and we gave our bowlers something the work with. Donald Coleman (18) and Asher Robb (11) were the next highest scorers but, everyone looked like they were in good form and it is just a case of what could have been if we had pushed the score along and run hard.

So with a "par" total of 145, we needed to bowl full and straight. Unfortunately, despite Colin's plea at the start, it took us till too late to realise this. We bowled too many wides and too many short balls - they ran well, particularly in the middle of their innings. At the end they had wickets in hand and, despite some full bowling (finally) from Asher Robb (2/14) and Bjorn Wojt (1/17), they were able to have a swing and, on a small pitch, knocked the runs off with ease.

So lessons to learn; our strength is in our team and we must start working together as a unit. This means that we need to start running/calling better when we bat. Our fielding/bowling needs to take a step up and we cannot keep bowling wides and short stuff.

North Harbour Black 145 All Out (Jake Skellern 21, Bjorn Wojt 20, Donald Coleman 18 and Asher Robb 11) Western Districts B 149/4 (Asher Robb 2/14 and Bjorn Wojt 1/17)

Western Districts won by 6 wickets

Finally, well done to both captains (Reid Hastie and Ben Reidy) and for the Black team there is a chance for revenge (Burgundy need to not get cocky - you guys have set a very high benchmark!) in two weeks time; we have a re-match at their ground!

v. Western Districts (Today)

2009-03-01T07:14:00.001+13:00

7:15am Update - The weather looks to have cleared and as the boys missed cricket yesterday, we are going to give it a go today. See you all at Wainoni Park shortly.

Games v. Western Districts (1 March 2009)

2009-02-21T11:03:00.008+13:00

We will be playing two games against Western Districts at Wainoni Park on Sunday 1 March. The following teams have been selected for these games - please let me know if you are unavailable as soon as possible to allow me to organise replacements.

We will be playing a 35 over game and will start at 9am - be there for 8:15am.

NH Burgundy XI
Reid Hastie (Captain)
Sam Hinds
Eru Hudson
Chris Woodard
Matt Strain
Evan Cronje
Bronson Marshall
Jack Stevenson
Cole Briggs
Max Lewis
Steven Newey

NH Black XI
Asher Robb
Ben Reidy
Bjorn Wojt
Connor Stuart
Donald Coleman
Luke Dewar
Faisal Ganchi
Kit Freeman
Kieran Seedall
Jake Skellern
Rory Douglas

Unavailable
Oliver Peterson
Angus Nicoll
Harry Bartlett

Games v. Parnell (Slideshow)

2009-02-16T15:26:00.002+13:00

The latest installment of photos from Chris Newey; our roaming photographer. This week he braved the areas between two Y6 games and about 5 nipper games ... and still managed to get these incredible shots.

Games v. Parnell (Summary)

2009-02-15T14:15:00.004+13:00

North Harbour Burgundy

All the way home I was kept asking myself how we lost this game. Looking back at the scorebook, it is really difficult to see when it went wrong.

The first 15 overs we looked sluggish in the field but, after our drinks break, we came out and really put them under pressure; our fielding was sharp, our bowling was tight and they started throwing their wickets away. There were some good bowling performances but, most of all it was the pressure that everyone exerted that led to the wickets - a really good team effort in the field.

We came out to bat wanting 117 from 30 overs (less than 4 an over) and started off well. Sam Hinds and Reid Hastie looked after their wickets and we got off to a good start (0-10 overs we were going at 3 an over). I would like to see us move on a bit after 10 overs (10-20 overs we were going at 4.4 an over) and start pushing the score on, especially once we have our eyes in but, the important thing was not to lose any wickets in those first 10 overs, so on balance I was happy with where we were.

After drinks, we really needed to move the score along and once Reid (31 Not Out) and Sam (30 Not Out) retired, we had to start again with Eru Hudson and Chris Woodard getting their eyes in. It was bit unfortunate because, had we not had the retirements so close to each other, we could have balanced it out but, two new batsman at the crease meant that the run rate started increasing. However, with 7 overs left we needed 35 runs and I still felt confident that with 10 wickets in hand, we would make it easily. Like I said, with wickets in hand, it is difficult to know where we lost this game but, I do think that it is important for you start being more aware of where you are in the game - I am guilty of this as well; I was at the other game thinking everything was all good when I realised that things were getting tight. However, I know that we have all learnt something from this and can take this in to the next game.

Parnell A 117 All Out from 29.3 Overs (Oliver Peterson 1/11, Steven Newey 1/14, Jack Stevenson, Bronson Marshall 2/5, Chris Woodard 1/7 and Reid Hastie 2/24) NH Burgundy 115/3 from 30 overs (Reid Hastie 31 Not Out, Sam Hinds 30 Not Out and Evan Cronje 15 Not Out)
NH Burgundy lost by 2 runs

North Harbour Black
This was a case of being beaten by the extras! Not to take anything away from their batting performance but, we just bowled too many "poor" deliveries. There were 38 extras and that was the difference between the two sides in the end. We also stood a little too deep in the field and this allowed them to take singles at will. We need to look at the outfield conditions when we position ourselves - close cut surfaces will mean that the ball travels off the bat faster and reaches the fielder quicker. In this case the grass grabbed hold of the ball and meant that when we stood deep they were able to run easy singles as we stood and waited for the ball to arrive.

Bjorn Wojt and Asher Robb were the pick of the bowlers but, as noted above, everyone needs to work on their line and length. As a bowler, you must practice bowling tightly - pick a spot in the net and mark it with chalk and see how many times you can hit it. When we go in to Y7, the level will step up again and bowlers must stop bowling wides/no balls.

They set us a target of 146 to win and we gave it a very brave shot. We started off looking good until Rory was caught very smartly at point but, Matt Strain and Kit Freeman steadied the ship for a while. We then lost a few quick wickets before Bjorn Wojt and Jake Skellern put on a nice partnership. Unfortunately, we could never quite get the run rate up to where we needed and we were always chasing our tails - 10 overs; 37 runs and 20 overs; 72 runs was always asking a lot of our middle order. We all dared to dream when Ben Reidy smashed his first ball for six but, it was not to be.

All in all, a fine effort but, I think that individually we will be dissapointed we did not do better. As with the other game, the Parnell team play "prem" cricket every Saturday and are used to the higher level of competition. Our Saturday cricket means that we need to make a step up to this level - opposition batsman will hit bad balls and bowlers will punish poor technique. As a team we need to work together to bring everyone up to a level where we can compete; there is no reason why we should not beat these sides, we just need to focus during the games, keep practicing and learning from each game.

Thanks to Scott Gannaway, who turned out last minute for his North Harbour debut - well done Scott!

Parnell B 145/5 from 30 overs (Asher Robb 1/12, Ben Reidy 1/20, Bjorn Wojt 1/9, Jake Skellern 1/20 and Rory Douglas 1/9) NH Black 119/7 from 30 overs (Kit Freeman 12, Matt Strain 11, Jake Skellern 13, Bjorn Wojt 28 and Ben Reidy 11)
Parnell won by 27 runs

Game v. Parnell (15 February 2009)

2009-02-10T08:28:00.006+13:00

We will be playing two games against Parnell at Bloodworth Park on Sunday 15 February.

The game will be a 30 over game played on 18m pitches and will start at 8:30am - so we will need to be there by 8am. The weather is not looking fantastic for Sunday and we will cancel by 7.15am by email and on this blog, so if there are any doubts check back here on Sunday.

Burgundy Team (Don Hastie)
Reid Hastie (Captain)
Cole Briggs (Wicketkeeper)
Sam Hinds
Eru Hudson
Chris Woodard
Jack Stevenson
Bronson Marshall
Oliver Peterson
Evan Cronje
Max Lewis
Steven Newey

Black Team (Colin Marshall)
Matt Strain (Captain/Wicketkeeper)
Rory Douglas
Harry Bartlett
Donald Coleman
Kit Freeman
Jake Skellern
Bjorn Wojt
Asher Robb
Ben Reidy
Angus Nicoll
Faisal Ganchi

Unavailable
Luke Dewar
Jake Meenhorst

NHY7b Worm

2009-02-09T16:38:00.003+13:00

As you will see from above our "worm", apart from losing all the wickets, our run rate was pretty good - at the 30 over mark we were on the same amount of runs as they had been. What this really reiterates is the importance of looking after your wicket and not getting that rush of blood and giving up your wicket to a silly shot. As a coach, I am happy to help and give you advice but, ultimately, you need to put the effort in. You are fantastic bunch and it has been a real privelage to be with you this season, let's really focus on finishing the season on a real high.

Look at your wagon wheels and see where you were hitting the ball but, most importantly, you need to practice proper cricket shots. Make your net sessions fun but, make sure that they are quality as well - and yes, you can have fun and play proper cricket shots. Get the bowlers to set their imaginery field and then play shots as if you were in the middle - if you don't keep working at your game your muscle memory will revert to the shots it knows - and these will get you out when you play at a higher level.

All in all, you did really well to bowl/field the full 50 overs on a really hot day. However, we were definitely down on the performances at Wanganui where our strength was our teamwork. When we had our backs against the wall (7 wickets down), I spoke about cheering every run - all I could hear in the middle was the support from the parents. We must pull together when times are tough and really work as a team let's make a concerted effort next week to really focus on supporting each other.

Batting Wagon Wheels

2009-02-09T16:29:00.004+13:00

NHY7b Slideshow

2009-02-09T14:22:00.002+13:00

Thanks, once again, to Chris Newey for these fantastic photos (link).

v. NHY7B (Sunday 8 Feb 2009)

2009-01-30T07:50:00.004+13:00

The team for the game against NHY7B at Stanley Bay (grass wicket) is as follows:

Reid Hastie (Captain)
Sam Hinds
Eru Hudson
Chris Woodard
Jack Stevenson
Matt Strain
Oliver Peterson
Bronson Marshall
Evan Cronje
Cole Briggs (Wk)
Max Lewis
Steven Newey

The game is scheduled to start at 10am (be there by 9am) and will be a 50 over game - so may take most of the day. Please let me know if you are not available for any reason.

Rupert (027 553 2745)
NHY6 Coach

Season 2008/9 - Part 2

2009-01-29T07:00:00.008+13:00

Happy New Year!

Just thought I would put a list of the games that we have confirmed for this half of the season (please let me know if you are unavailable for any of these):

Sunday 8th February 2009: v. NHY7B (1 Team only)

Sunday 15th February 2009: v. Parnell (2 Teams)

Sunday 1st March 2009: Home v. Western Districts (2 Teams @ Wainoni Park - Confirmed)

Sunday 15th March: Away v. Western Districts (2 Teams - Confirmed)

Sunday 22nd March: v. Northland (TBC)

Sunday 29th March 2009: v. Hamilton (1 Team @ Discovery Park, Hamilton - Confirmed)

I am trying to get fixtures against Cornwall Park/HPCC for March 15/22 - so keep you eyes peeled to the blog. If not, I will definitely organise another inter-squad game before the end of the season, so whatever happens, keep those dates in your diary.

Look forward to catching up with you soon and I hope that you have all been keeping your eye in over Christmas - it looks like it is going to be a busy second half.

Wanganui U12 Tournament 2009

2009-01-25T09:08:00.002+13:00

Due to the fact that North Harbour (and Auckland) operate on a school year basis and much of the rest of New Zealand works on age group basis, the Wanganui Tournament was always going to be extremely difficult for all the North Harbour teams. Fundamentally, it meant that our NHY6 team would be playing against Y7/8 boys from some of the strongest teams in the country. We were advised that we needed to prepare for this and that we were going to find it tough.

However, the boys accepted the challenge and we set about working on our basic skills, teamworking and fitness - we knew that if we were fit and played together as a team, we might get beaten but, we would always learn and develop together. The boys committed to a basic fitness program from Optimal Sports, the company that manages the Black Caps fitness programs, and we had training sessions every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the Christmas break. These were non-compulsory but, the boys (and parents) really worked at getting to as many as possible and we found that we had a good quorum each session. We started off with fitness shuttles and even got the boys to run up North Head without complaint (... sort of), and then moved on to some technical development and our fielding. We knew that we might not be able to hit the ball as far, or bowl as quick, as the bigger boys but, we could use our fitness to take advantage of our size for quick singles and fielding skills.

The boys were fantastic and worked extremely hard at their cricket and we started seeing improvements week on week leading up to the tournament. Just before we left, we all agreed a team philosophy around enjoyment and fair play; we decided that the most important thing was that everyone got a chance to bat/bowl and that our goal was to learn something every game. We also agreed that we would only focus on what we could control and not worry about the other team; we would only be positive and would respect the opposition for their efforts.

We were, as expected, the youngest team at the tournament and, to be honest, I was a bit concerned about how this might effect the boys. I did wonder if I had done the right thing and really worried that this experience might backfire on me and whether it would be detrimental to their cricket development. I should have had more faith ...

We were, without doubt, the best fielding side in the whole competition - in our 6 games we ran out 17 batsmen; many with direct hits but, all with a commitment and speed that none of the other teams could manage. Cole Briggs won wicketkeeper of the tournament but, the ground fielding (and catching) was some of the best I have ever seen. The boys were absolutely fantastic; we struggled to get runs on the board sometimes but, we were never short of commitment and bravery. We worked our singles and then defended our totals with absolute commitment. As we developed more confidence, we started putting together some fantastic individual scores but, whatever our total (we lost the toss 6 out of 6 and ended up batting first in 5 games) the boys never gave up. The boys supported each other throughout the whole game, we were chirpy and upbeat about everything that happened; dropped catch to good ball to amazing run out. The commitment to respect and positivity extended to our opposition and, whilst we were chirpy, we never disrespected the other teams - clapping their batsmen off/on and appreciating their efforts and play.

The result was an amazing 4 wins from 6 games ... I still have to pinch myself to make sure that it is not a dream! Not that I did not believe in the boys nor, that they had punched so far above their weight but, that they did it all with such a great spirit and learnt something every single session. We (Coaching Team: Don, Colin and myself) really could not have done any of this without the support of the parents; everyone contributed something - from umpiring to providing ice to coffee (very important) to photos to dri-fit shirts to laundry services to warm up sessions to shouting support ... there are too many to mention but I would just like to make special mention of Sue (NetWork Visuals); who made the boys look like a team by providing two dri-fit shirts for each of them. The rest of you all know who you are - thank you all for making this such a fantastic experience.

Game 1 v. Horowhenua Kapiti (Won)
Horowhenua Kapiti 82/9 (Reid Hastie 2/2 Donald Coleman 1/1, Max Lewis 1/9, Jack Stevenson 1/7, Chris Woodard 1/9) North Harbour 83/3 (Sam Hinds 28*, Reid Hastie 16, Donald Coleman 13*)

Game 2 v. Auckland EDCA (Won)
North Harbour 137/4 (Eru Hudson 30*Reid Hastie 20, Matt Strain 15*) Auckland EDCA 131/7 (Angus Nicoll 2/24, Steven Newey 2/10, Harry Bartlett 1/5, Chris Woodard 1/8, Bronson Marshall 1/16, Jack Stevenson 1/19)

Game 3 v. Cornwall Park Gold (Lost)
North Harbour 73 All Out (Chris Woodard 23, Matt Strain 26) Cornwall Park 77/5 (Max Lewis 1/8, Matt Strain 1/8, Luke Dewar 1/5, Donald Coleman 1/15)

Game 4 v. Taranaki North (Lost)
North Harbour 118 All Out (Sam Hinds 33, Jack Stevenson 22, Reid Hastie 13) Taranaki North 119/4 (Reid Hastie 1/11)

Game 5 v. Manawatu (Won)
North Harbour 96 All Out ( Eru Hudson 30, Cole Briggs 10, Harry Bartlett 10) Manawatu 49 All Out (Jack Stevenson 2/4, Max Lewis 1/13, Harry Bartlett 1/6, Matt Strain 1/6, Steven Newey 1/0)

Game 6 v. Taradale (Won)
North Harbour 126 All Out (Jack Stevenson 25, Max Lewis 13*, Sam Hinds 15, Reid Hastie 11, Matt Srain 11) Taradale 112 All Out (Max Lewis 1/6, Sam Hinds 2/7, Chris Woodard 1/10)

Wanganui U12 Tournament 2009

2009-01-23T17:59:00.003+13:00

The glorious North Harbour Wanganui Team 2009 - I hope that these moments stay with you forever, I know that they will with me - thank you all for your hard work and wonderful team spirit. You have made me proud! R

Cornwall Park Slideshow

2008-12-22T11:42:00.002+13:00

Once again you can download any of these excellent photos provided by our "official" photographer; Chris Newey. (Here)

Game v. Cornwall Park (Summary)

2008-12-21T16:08:00.004+13:00

Whilst we did not win today, it was good to see that we made sure that Cornwall Park had to fight really hard for their victory. I think on the balance of it, and much as it grieves me to say it, they probably deserved their day in the sunshine. We set them a good (although not great) target which would mean that they had to work to beat us. Ried Hastie (40 Not Out) and Sam Hinds started us off well. Donald Coleman (19) batting at No. 5 started the engine and Cole Briggs (24) and Max Lewis (11) had a good partnership at the end that allowed us to set them 143 to win off 35 overs.

We had a strong game plan; which had been to apply pressure and restrict their runs. However, they did very well at the start and this is probably where they beat us; they attacked our bowlers early and we gave them too much space. We tended to field too deep and it was just too easy for them to score runs. A couple of tough chances went down and a couple of opportunities missed but, to be fair, they really took to us in the first 7 overs. Angus Nicoll was unlucky with a peach of a first ball and Steven Newey and eru Hudson both bowled very well with no reward. Jack Stevenson gave it more air than Michael Jordan and had their batsman in real problems. Max Lewis, Bronson Marshall all battled the wind and bowled tightly. Chris Woodard (1/15) bowled well and took the ball for the last over - which is always a good sign.

We worked hard and came back in to the game. We took a couple of wickets and closed them down for a while by bringing the field in and being more aggressive but, a couple of errors and maidens turned in to frogs as we let them off the hook with some fielding errors; each time we looked like taking control, they had a strong over and took it away from us. At the end they won the game in the last over but, by that time it was their game to lose.

In summary, we stepped up as a side (compared to Manukau); our batting was better and more urgent and our fielding/bowling was good. We need to be more aggressive with the bat, earlier in our innings (dotballs in to 1's, 1's in to 2's ... etc) - we moved on well and looked after our wickets but, must work at finding ways to score. Similarly, in the field, we should be taking charge of games and not letting the other team dictate to us. We are as a good as anyone that we will play and we certainly have the team spirit and in Reid Hastie we have a really good thinking captain.

NHY6 142/7 from 35 Overs (Reid Hastie 40 Not Out, Cole Briggs 24, Donald Coleman 19)

Cornwall Park 143/2 from 34.3 Overs (Chris Woodard 1/15, Reid Hastie 1/9)

Cornwall Park won by 8 wickets

Have a great break; you all looked like you need a break! See you all refreshed and ready to go for Wanganui! Merry Xmas!

v. Cornwall Park (21 December)

2008-12-15T06:12:00.004+13:00

It is going to be a beautiful sunny day but, unfortunately, not sunny enough to dry the Stanley Bay wicket out in time. We have decided therefore, to accept Cornwall Park's offer of hosting us on their 1a pitch in front of their pavillion.

The team selected to play Cornwall Park at Cornwall Park will be:

1. Reid Hastie (Captain)
2. Sam Hinds
3. Eru Hudson
4. Christopher Woodard
5. Donald Coleman
6. Bronson Marshall
7. Cole Briggs (Wicketkeeper)
8. Steven Newey
9. Max Lewis
10. Jack Stevenson
11. Angus Nicoll

Be at the ground for 9:15am for a 10am start.

NHY6 v. Manukau (Slideshow)

2008-12-09T19:19:00.003+13:00

Once again, we have Chris to thank for these amazing photos. Please feel free to download any of the photos from the online album (here).

Games v. Manukau (Summary)

2008-12-07T17:40:00.005+13:00

Wonderful weather and setting for our games against Manukau. Their teams were made up of players from Howick Pakuranga and Papatoetoe Cricket Clubs. They had selected and A and B sides whereas we were happy to remain with our even teams and therefore, knew that potentially we could have had anything from a really hard game to a relatively easy one ... as it happened, this is pretty much the way it ended up. However, that is to take away nothing from either our sides or the Manukau teams.

Their A team set Don's XI a daunting target of 142 from 28 overs. Batting first, Manukau started their innings slowly and surely and we were complimented on our tight bowling and field settings. However, they built on this base and we started to get flustered and tried to bowl too quick - we ended up spraying the ball around and bowling too short (17 No Balls is too many at this level against a team like this) and they went to town on the latter part of their innings with our fielding losing its' shape a little as we got a little bit ragged and under pressure. We then went to bat and whilst, Jake Skellern and Reid Hastie kept their wickets safe, we got bogged down by some very tidy slow bowling. We had set ourselves some batting targets and after 10 overs were already behind our target by 25 runs and by 15 overs were 31 runs down. These are obviously meant to be a guide but, we do need to start thinking about where we are and how we can move forward. To their credit though, they bowled and fielded very well however, we never really looked like we were going to threaten them despite a last gasp swashbuckle from Oliver Peterson and Cole Briggs (Man of the Match). We finished on 102/3 after the 28 overs. A good learning experience for us and hopefully when the dust settles, we can sit down and think through some of our decisions and perhaps, how we might have done things differently.

In the other game, the roles were reversed as Colin's XI put their B team to the sword. Regular wickets and continued pressure in the field. It was only a last wicket partnership of 32 that held us up. They finished on 71 all out - we only bowled 9 extras. Their team currently plays in their prem grade but, due to a mix up at registration time, have been graded outside the top league. They have won all their games against 3rd and 4th teams with great ease and this was an eye opening experience for them. We knocked the runs off in the 20th over with the loss of only 4 wickets. We probably have not learnt a huge amount from this game but, we did bowl very well (Eru Hudson and Max Lewis taking 3 wickets each) and Eru Hudson looked at ease with the bat and deservedly too the Man of the Match medal. It was good to see both Kieran Seedall and Ben Beecroft settle in to the team well and I hope that they get a chance to play again at some point in the future.

Don's XI v. Manukau A
Manukau A 141/4 (Asher Robb 3 overs 0/2, Donald Coleman 3 overs 2/24, Oliver Peterson 4 overs 1/14 and Jake Skellern 2 overs 1/18)
Don's XI 102/3 (Reid Hastie 29 Not Out, Cole Briggs 19 Not Out, Oliver Peterson 12 Not Out)

Manukau A won by 39 runs

Colins XI v. Manukau B
Manukau B 71 All Out (Max Lewis 3 overs 3/4, Eru Hudson 3 overs 3/8, Jack Stevenson 3 overs 1/9, Kieran Seedall 3 overs 1/9 and Ben Beecroft 2 overs 1/10)
Colins XI 72/4 (Eru Hudson 25 Not Out, Luke Dewar 14 and Steven Newey 15)

Colin's XI won by 6 wickets

Well done to both teams, this is a learning year for the boys and both teams will need to take the positives and the negatives from their games and look to the future. The results are supplementary to the knowledge that they will get from playing stronger (and to a lesser extent weaker) teams. I really enjoy being a part of this squad and feel that we have a fantastic set of boys - the team spirit is good and we look like we enjoy our cricket. Keep up the good work.

NHY6/7 v. NH U15 Girls (14 December)

2008-12-01T08:39:00.007+13:00

I am looking after a joint NHY6/7 team that will be playing against Simon Down's U15 Girls side at Takapuna Grammar School (Grass Wicket) on the 14th December. I am looking for 5 NHY6 boys to play in this team, preferably boys that are not involved in the Cornwall park game. So far my list is:

1. Rory Douglas
2. Kit Freeman
3. Luke Dewar
4. Matt Strain
5. Max Lewis or Steven Newey

We will look at a 9am start (be there at 8:30am) and we will be playing 40 overs - so should be done by 2pm ish.

Please let me know by email if you are interested (rupertlewis@mac.com).

v. Manukau (7 December)

2008-12-01T06:08:00.014+13:00

The two teams to play Manukau at Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club (Lloyd Elsmore Park) are as follows:

Colin's Team (Field 7A)
Luke Dewar
Harry Bartlett
Matt Strain
Bronson Marshall
Eru Hudson
Oliver Petersen
Kieran Seedall
Steven Newey
Max Lewis
Jack Stevenson
Angus Nicoll

Don's Team (Field 8A)
Reid Hastie
Donald Coleman
Evan Cronje
Kit Freeman
Benjamin Beecroft
Cole Briggs
Jake Skellern
Chris Woodard
Bjorn Wojt
Ben Reidy
Asher Robb

Unavailable
Sam Hinds
Rory Douglas
Faisal Ganchi
Jake Meenhorst

Meet at Lloyd Elsmore at 8:45am for a 9:30am start. HPCC and Papatoetoe are two of the strongest clubs in Auckland; this should be a real test of your game. Make sure that you sleep well on Saturday night and don't forget your sunscreen and caps.

Ian O'Briens Blog

2008-11-27T14:18:00.002+13:00

A link to Ian O'Briens blog has been added to the side bar. Great insight for young (or old) cricketers in to life with the Black Caps.

Diary Dates

2008-11-25T15:15:00.008+13:00

Just a few dates for your diary:

7th December 2008: 2 Teams v. Manukau (HPCC and Papatoetoe @ Lloyd Elsmore Park) - CONFIRMED
14th December 2008: Mixed game with NHY7 v. NHU15 Girls @ TGS (Grass Wicket) - CONFIRMED
21 December 2008: 1 Team v. Cornwall Park (@ Stanley Bay) - CONFIRMED
15 February 2009: 2 Teams v. Parnell (@ Parnell) - CONFIRMED
1 March 2009: 2 Teams v. Western Districts (@ Wainoni Park) - CONFIRMED

Oh and don't forget Christmas and New Year!

NHY6 Counties Game (23 November 2008) Slideshow

2008-11-25T07:16:00.004+13:00

Thanks once again to Chris Newey.

If you want to download any of these photos click here and the link should take you to the online album where you can select the photo you want.

Counties Game (23 November)

2008-11-24T14:44:00.003+13:00

"Got him!"

Keep an eye out for Chris Newey's latest photographical installment. The photo's I have seen so far are fantastic; I will put a slideshow up in the next day or so. Chris does this as a hobby but, they are some of the best cricket photos I have seen. So thank you Chris!

Counties Result (23 November)

2008-11-23T18:33:00.004+13:00

Don's XI v. Counties 1
Counties 70/20 overs (Angus Nicoll 3/17, Bjorn Wojt 3/11, Faisal Ganchi 2/5)
Dons XI 90/20 overs (Reid Hastie 20 Not Out, Cole Briggs 21 Not Out)

Don's XI win

Colin's XI v. Counties 2
Counties 87/20 overs (Steven Newey 2/17, Harry Bartlett 2/12)
Colin's XI 82/All Out (Eru Hudson 27)

Colin's XI lost

Don's XI v. Counties 2
Don's XI 99/20 overs (Bjorn 43 Not Out, Jake Skellern 23 Not Out)
Counties 50/All Out (Asher Robb 3/9, Kit Freeman 2/10, Chris Woodard 2/1)

Don's XI win

Colin's XI v. Counties 1
Colin's XI 110/20 overs (Steven Newey 47 Not Out, Evan Cronje 24 Not Out)
Counties 30/All Out (Max Lewis 2/4)

Colin's XI win

So we win 3 out of 4 games and I think, if we are honest, we should have won all 4 games. Colin's XI slumped after losing 4 wickets in 4 balls and were kicking themselves.

Don's XI under the guidance of Reid Hastie showed excellent tactical fielding, making good use of slips and a line of sight short mid-off. There was some fantastic slip catching with four really top class catches taken off sharp bowling from Angus Nicoll, Asher Robb and Bjorn Wojt (Reid Hastie and Chris Woodard with cat like reflexes). This backed up by some good batting; Cole Briggs, Reid Hastie, Bjorn Wojt and Jake Skellern showing a good range of skills - moving the game on when it needed and batting sensibly at the start of the innings.

Colin's XI, as mentioned above, will be disappointed with their first game (only Eru Hudson will be able to sleep without batting nightmares from the first game) however, made up for this in the second game. A good sensible start, from Max Lewis and Steven Newey, gave a solid base for the team to build on. Steven and Evan Cronje did this very well and really set a good strong target. Poor Luke Dewar was treated to a "Yes, No, Sorry" call and run out for a diamond duck but, he took it well and will be back to fight another day. Then the bowlers went to work and ripped apart the opposition - the fielding was aggressive and they deserved their win.

All in all a very impressive display from both teams, with everyone contributing in some form or another. The bowlers that had to work in to the wind, worked out that a shorter run up and concentrating on line and length was the best way forward. However, it took the batsmen a little longer to realise that the ball held up and did not go as far when hitting in to the wind. We also need to work on turning dot balls in to 1's and 1's in 2's by putting pressure on the field and running the first run hard. The fielding/bowling was very good although, we did find that it got a bit ragged about half way through the innings as we started to lose concentration - we must work on focus throughout the game and driving home an advantage. Similarly, whilst batting, the rest of the team should work on keeping up to date with the position of the game and keeping ther batsmen well informed of what is required.

Well done to everyone and thanks to Colin, Don, scorers and parents that turned up and helped out.

Poll News

2008-11-21T12:34:00.002+13:00

Tim McIntosh won the vote for the most runs this year ... he started off with a flurry. I think that Reece Young might be leading run scorer at the moment though.

Have a go at the "Mystery Ground" ... had some interesting responses.

Games v. Counties (23 November 2008)

2008-11-12T08:02:00.010+13:00

Both games are now confirmed as away (Clive Howe Domain, Patumahoe) and will start at 10:30am - we will need to be there by 10am latest. I have just spoken to their coach and we are going to play two 20-20 games against their teams. It will be a long day and we should expect to finish both games at about 6pm.

The teams will be:

Colin's Team
Luke Dewar
Harry Bartlett
Sam Hinds
Matt Strain (Captain)
Bronson Marshall
Eru Hudson
Oliver Petersen (1st Game)
Jake Meenhorst
Steven Newey
Max Lewis
Jack Stevenson

Don's Team
Reid Hastie (Captain)
Rory Douglas
Donald Coleman
Evan Cronje
Kit Freeman
Cole Briggs
Jake Skellern
Chris Woodard
Bjorn Wojt
Angus Nicoll
Faisal Ganchi
Asher Robb

We will need scorers and umpires, so it will be good to have a few keen parents. It will also be a good idea if we car pool - I have room for a couple of boys (preferably from the Devonport/Takapuna area). Please use the comments section below to offer or ask for lifts.

Cricket Bat Willow

2008-11-11T13:35:00.003+13:00

JS Wright and Sons supply the English willow for 90% of the world's cricket bats. I have attached a link to their website which gives some information on wood quality and what it means to a cricket bat. Very interesting if you are currently searching for a new bat.

Slideshow Photos Inter-Squad (9 November 2008)

2008-11-10T20:52:00.005+13:00

Big thanks to Chris Newey for the photos.

NHY6 Squad Photo (9 November 2008)

2008-11-09T18:28:00.007+13:00

Inter-Squad Game

2008-11-09T15:18:00.008+13:00

Excellent game of cricket today - well done to all the boys ... and parents for braving the freezing cold. The end scene very much reminded me of photos of Amundsen's trip to the south pole. Here is a photo of one of the parents watching the game today (Photo). The wind was, indeed, bitter and blew straight down the ground making bowling in to it extremely difficult (and I put this down as the excuse for quite a few wides!) - everyone had a go but, those that drew the short straw and had to bowl two overs in to it, will sleep well tonight.

Batting first, Colin's XII scored 104/8 in 35 overs. Sam Hinds (34 not out) and Matt Strain (19 not out) sharing a 50 plus partnership. The bowling was fast and fiery with Evan Cronje taking 2 for 1 in his 3 overs and Angus Nicoll, Chris Woodard, Bjorn Wojt and Oliver Petersen all chipping in with wickets.

In reply Don's XII knocked off the runs with an over to spare. Donald Coleman (19), Oliver Petersen (14 not out), Jake Skellern (12 not out), Evan Cronje (12 not out) and Bjorn Wojt (11 not out) all chipped in to make the runs. Max Lewis, Matt Strain, Asher Robb, Harry Bartlett and Luke Dewar all managed to get wickets.

Thanks to Colin and Don for umpiring/coaching and to Tim and Peter for scoring. Once again well done to all the boys and parents and I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Games v. Counties (23 November 2008)

2008-11-04T21:00:00.005+13:00

We will have two games against Counties on Sunday 23rd November 2008. They will both be played at Belmont Intermediate School (map) and will start at 10:30am.

Inter-Squad Game (9 November 2008)

2008-11-03T15:30:00.008+13:00

Sunday 9th November: Inter-Squad Game (at Kumeu CC, Huapai Domain map)

Colin Marshall XII

Luke Dewar
Harry Bartlett
Sam Hinds
Bronson Marshall
Matt Strain
Jake Meenhorst
Steven Newey
Max Lewis
Jack Stevenson
Asher Robb
Ben Reidy
Faisal Ganchi

Don Hastie XII

Reid Hastie
Rory Douglas
Donald Coleman
Cole Briggs
Kit Freeman
Oliver Petersen
Jake Skellern
Evan Cronje
Bjorn Wojt
Eru Hudson
Christopher Woodard
Angus Nicoll

Please come prepared for summer (even if it isn't): Hats, sun cream and water. Please check out the Sunsmart website for further details on sun safety (here).

We are looking to get started at 9:00am, so please be there by 8:30am. This will be a 35 over game (as per NHY6 Saturday rules) and we will look to get finished by about 1pm.

Cricket Resources

2008-11-03T14:16:00.004+13:00

Anyone looking for a great site for cricket resources, check out: here

Also, you may want to have a look at Science of Sport - Cricket ... if you go to the following link (here) you will get the first in a series of six programmes on the science of cricket. Well worth a look.

Happy crickternetting!

NHY6 Pre-Season Coaching Sessions

2008-11-03T09:31:00.001+13:00

Congratulations to all the boys that were nominated and attended the pre-season coaching sessions. We attempted a different format this year and tried to alleviate the pain and heartache that goes with a one off trial. We also wanted to make sure that everyone learnt something from these sessions and that it gave them a great start to the season.

Once again, well done to the boys that attended; we asked for enthusiasm and good attitude and were richly rewarded with both by the bucket load. The clubs can be proud of their nominations and we sincerely hope that everyone enjoyed themselves and learnt something.

It should be noted that this year is an introduction to NH cricket and we are looking to concentrate on developing a strong base for the future. With this in mind, from the 41 boys that were nominated we will be asking 24 boys to continue a programme of extra coaching and fixtures through the rest of the season. However, this should not be considered as a last chance saloon for those that do not make this squad - we hope to give these boys some feedback and areas to work on for the season, to enable them to come back stronger next year.

Thanks, in particular, to my support coaches; Don Hastie and Colin Marshall. Also, a big thanks to all the parents who respected what we were trying to accomplish and supported us throughout the process - we look forward to your continued support throughout the season.

Blog you soon - keep in touch with this forum and I will try and update regularly.

Rupert