New cricket competition for secondary schools

Press, 19 December 1989, Page 40

New cricket competition for secondary schools

A new competition for New Zealand secondary schools has been created to boost the development of young cricketers throughout the country. The competiton has been developed jointly by the New Zealand Cricket Council and Gillette and will be played in 1990 between schools from eight regions. The Gillette Cup champions school cricket competition will consist of 50 overs and innings games.

From the qualifying rounds four finalists will be found to play off for the national title in Palmerston North next December. The Prime Minister, Mr Palmer, will be patron of the competition for which he expressed his enthusiasm. “Cricket is a great game and efforts must be made to encourage young players,” he said. “Schools are where cricket starts.”' Announcing the in-

augural Gillette Cup, the N.Z.C.C. chairman, Barry Paterson, said that the sponsorship of a national competition for secondary schools filled a gap in the cricket calendar. “Secondary school cricket has been somewhat neglected in the past, but I’m sure the new competition will do much to right that situation.” A new sub-committee of the N.Z.C.C. — the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cricket Council —

has been formed to implement and control the organisation of the Gillette Cup. The chairman, Russell Glackin, said the first XI cricket had declined in profile for a wide variety of reasons and it was hoped this championship would “put school cricket back on the map.” The Gillette sponsorship will meet the major costs of travel and accommodation associated with the final.