Waimea girls cricket back in action
The team, (back) Brooke Robinson, Poppy Deaker, Summer Dove, Abi Platt, Summa Pratt, (front) Grace Matthewson (NCG), Kady Thurlow, Madison Greenaway (C), Shaylee Manson, Samara Bright, Petra Cederman (Motueka High School), fought to the last ball in a one wicket loss. Photo: Supplied.
Waimea Girl's cricket first XI was in action again as they travelled to Christchurch to play at Willows Cricket Club.
It's the first time in several years the school has fielded a red ball team, having to bring in a player from Motueka High School and Nelson College for Girls to make up their numbers.
Taking on Queenstown's Wakatipu High School's girl's first XI, the local team fell short by just one wicket as the game came down to the wire.
After losing the toss and put into bat, the Waimea College Combined team got off to a strong start with a 40-run first-wicket partnership between Grace Matthewson (14) and Summa Pratt (46).
Summa would earn the highest score from the innings and the player of the day, combining with Abi Platt (42) for a 98-run partnership that saw Waimea 138-2 when Abi was bowled in the 20th over.
But with the dismissal of the strong partnership, the wheels fell off through the mid-point of the innings as the team collapsed for 158 after being bowled out in the 31st over.
Wakatipu's Amelia Smith would pick up three wickets for eight runs as none of the final eight batswomen managed to make double-digit runs.
The start of the second innings couldn't have gone any better for the Waimea team, with two quick wickets before Wakatipu even had a run on the board.
But the tides quickly turned as Abby Fookes came in at number three and hit a 76-ball century, the first by a schoolgirl on The Willows.
Famously, the cricket club allowed women to play on the ground in 2019 after being founded in 1994 with the goal of providing quality opposition for boys' schools' first XIs.
As part of the culture of the club, Waimea College Combined's manager Jo Cotton says it was special to bring back the tradition and etiquette of cricket.
While some players have representative experience, she says it was an honour to play on such a beautiful grass pitch.
"Wearing blazers to lunch and the traditions coming back, it was cool to see.
"It's really nice to be able to take a mostly Waimea College side away.
"And the game was so close. It was really nail-biting."
After dealing with the early onslaught, the Waimea College girls fought their way back into the game with several wickets at the death, setting up a tense finish.
At 139-7, the game looked all but decided before late wickets saw the penultimate wicket fall with two runs still needed for the win.
Petra Cederman finished with figures of three wickets for 28 for Waimea, while Maddi Greenaway picked up two for 20.
And while the Waimea girls couldn't get the job done, Jo says it was a fantastic experience for the team, which is largely made up of Wanderers Wahine in the local fourth division.
"We were training in January for the build-up, but a lot of the girls play together.
"But we did have to pull in some girls; one girl (Shaylee Manson) we brought back to cricket after a five-year break."
Jo says with any luck, they hope to travel to Christchurch again to qualify for the Gillette Venus Cup, the national secondary school competition for secondary school girls.