Central Districts Cricket launches new Super League
Central Districts Cricket is delighted to announce the formation of a new women's cricket competition, designed to take the CD female game to the next level.
Launching in November, the Central Super League will help bridge the gap for up and coming cricketers looking to make the Central Hinds squad.
Four new franchise teams — New Plymouth Power, Palmerston North Tui, Tararua Kotahi and the Coastal Challengers Levin have been created to contest the inaugural Central Super League (CSL) that will begin in Palmerston North on Saturday, November 28.
Players from throughout CD’s widespread region — which stretches from Hawke’s Bay to the top of the South Island — will be able to play in the league, with a 52-player draft to take place on October 23.
“This is a hugely exciting opportunity for female performance cricket in Central Districts,” said Jamie Watkins, CDCA’s Coach, Female Performance and Pathways and head coach of the Central Hinds.
“Currently we have a big gap between the level of cricket at The Shrimpton Trophy and the jump to Hinds level, as well as the fact that only four of our eight Districts have Shrimpton Trophy teams — largely due to the logistics involved, with our geographic spread across the North and South Islands.
“The Central Super League will give an opportunity to the best players from all eight of our Districts to be involved in an evenly-matched competition, no matter where they are based within CD.”
Ahead of next Friday’s draft, four marquee players were announced yesterday.
WHITE FERNS and Central Hinds allrounder Hannah Rowe will headline the Palmerston North Tui; WHITE FERNS and Hinds wicketkeeper-batsman Natalie Dodd will be donning the gold of New Plymouth Power; NZC Development player and 2019/20 Central Hinds Player of the Year Jess Watkin will star for the Coastal Challengers, and Hinds one-day captain Anlo van Deventer will bring her tactical acumen to the Tararua Kotahi.
The first edition of the CSL will begin with two rounds of 50-over one-dayers across the inaugural weekend in Palmerston North, followed by four T20 rounds in Levin on the weekend of February 27 and 28.
“As well as providing a more competitive level of competition between Women’s List A cricket and Districts level, it will also provide players with more opportunity to be seen so that they can push for selection to our Hinds and our CD Under 19 squads,” said Watkins.
“It will also provide an extra coaching opportunity for our identified coaches, people who are part of CD’s District Association coaching network. So it’s a very exciting opportunity to increase our depth both on and off the park, and to build on the great work that has been done throughout CD on the female pathway.”
CDCA CEO Pete de Wet said the new league had been developed as part of his Association’s strong commitment to elevate the female game throughout the region, ultimately benefitting the Central Hinds side.
“We have an outstanding group of nine contracted Hinds, plus our four NZC contracted players, who juggle work and study to play the sport they love.
“Despite being the smallest Domestic squad in the country, they have won a national title together — the 2019 Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
“We’re committed to now finding ways to increase both the depth of the squad and the quality of preparation we can provide to those Domestic players and aspirants, as part of our overall strategy to grow the number of women playing and engaging in cricket.
“The CSL will help us achieve these goals and is also a practical solution to overcome some of our inherent logistical challenges as a large Association stretching across both sides of the country, and the only Association to be spread across both the main islands.”
De Wet said he was delighted to welcome Parkers Beverage Company and John Turkington Forestry as foundation sponsors of the new league.
“Parkers Beverage Company and John Turkington Forestry share our vision and commitment to the women’s game.
“Our ultimate goals are to create a competition that supports the development of structures to grow the female game around our region, and that in two years’ time we will be in a position to include two new franchise teams.”
CD Under 21 representative Kate Gaging, a talented 19-year-old from Nelson, says she can’t wait for the first ball.
“It will be so exciting not just for myself, but for all the girls from the Nelson region to have this opportunity to play alongside and against the North Island players,” said Gaging.
“We’ve been playing club cricket with men down here, and training as a pretty small group of female players with an age range that includes a lot of quite young players.
“So I’m very excited to see what it’s like to play a lot of women who have five or 10 years’ experience behind them in competitions like The Shrimpton Trophy — as well as the chance to test myself against Central Hinds.
“The standard is going to be good for sure. I really want to get up there and it’s exciting, 12 matches in which all of us from across CD are competing together, instead of us just hearing snippets of what’s going on up north.”
Round 1 (50 overs) Saturday 28 November, Manawaroa Park, Palmerston North
Round 2 (50 overs) Sunday 29 November, Manawaroa Park, Palmerston North
Round 3 (T20) Saturday 27 February, Donnelly Park, Levin
Round 4 (T20) Saturday 27 February, Donnelly Park, Levin
Round 5 (T20) Sunday 28 February, Donnelly Park, Levin
Round 6 (T20) Sunday 28 February, Donnelly Park, Levin
