Orange’s under 16s finished sixth of eight at the Queenstown Schools Cricket Carnival this week and they relinquished the Sharpe-Mawhinney Shield twice, but there’s little doubt the experience will be invaluable for the up-and-coming stars.
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The black and golds went through the carnival without a victory but the chance to play on different surfaces – including the magnificent Queenstown Events Centre – in substantially different conditions at a high standard will be a crucial boost in their development.
Off the the field the benefits are immeasurable too, with the players being able to experience different cultures and learn plenty about themselves in a tour environment.
The black and golds proved better performed in the longer-form section of the tournament, dropping their first game to Wakatipu High School and drawing their third against Southland Boys’ High School.
Their second game, against Otago Country, was abandoned due to rain.
In the Twenty20 section of the tournament Orange fought valiantly but was outplayed on all three days, losing their first two games to John McGlashen College and Invercargill Metro then going down in a thriller to Wakatipu.
The newly-established Sharpe-Mawhinney Shield was on the line in both the fixtures against Wakatipu, with the Kiwis claiming then retaining it.
The black and golds’ best performance of the carnival came against Southland Boys’ High on Thursday’s final day, where they went agonisingly close to picking up their first win.
Harry West (66), Lachie Coyte (65) and Hugh Middleton (40) led Orange to 241 and after George Cumming (4-27) and Middleton (3-13) ran through their opposition the tourists looked likely to score a win.
They picked up nine of Southland Boys’ High’s 10 wickets but couldn’t quite claim the last, the Kiwis finishing 9-93 at stumps and hanging on for the draw.
The side’s final T20 clash against Wakatipu proved their best effort in the short form too.
Brad O’Brien bashed 41 to top score as Orange posted 7-143 but Jordan Gibbons once again proved a thorn in the black and golds’ side.
After he’d smashed a beautiful 110 in Wakatipu’s day one win over Orange, he top scored with 33 for the Kiwis as they successfully chased with seven wickets and an over to spare.
Coyte topped the side’s run-scoring stakes with 168 at an average of 28, but 148 of those runs came in the long-form section of the competition, where he averaged 49.33.
Coyte was also presented with the competition’s overall fielding award.
West was similar, he was the next best overall with 144 at 28.8 but averaged more than 60 in the longer form, batting twice and knocking up half-centuries in both innings.
Cumming was the side’s best-performed bowler in taking seven scalps at 15.85 apiece, with James Thompson the next best with five at 16.4.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
