An inspirational weekend of cricket in Hastings culminates in Central Districts Māori being awarded the inaugural Rona McKenzie Taonga by Darren McKenzie, grandnephew of the late Rona McKenzie.
CD Māori established themselves as team of the tournament, going unbeaten through four matches to create history in winning the first ever Māori Wāhine Nationals.
CD Captain, Georgia Atkinson, led the way for her side all weekend with multiple stand-out performances with the bat.
Atkinson made note of the cultural experience that her side enjoyed throughout the weekend, but also the competitive nature of the tournament which saw many young wāhine competing against those with International or Domestic playing experience.
She was well supported by player/coach Kerry Tomlinson, wicketkeeper-bat Sam Mackinder, and a young bowling unit led by Macy Lyford, Ocean Bartlett, and Olivia McKnight.
Tāmaki Makaurau Māori leg-spinner, Mollie Drumm, picked up tournament MVP with 12 wickets across four matches including a five-wicket-bag against Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
NZC would like to extend our gratitude to all involved in making the inaugural Māori Wāhine Nationals one to remember.
Top Performers (batting):
- Jessica McFadyen (WEL) - 147 runs @ 49.
- Georgia Atkinson (CD) - 133 runs @ 66.5.
- Claire Crooks (AKL) - 104 runs @ 104.
- Sam Mackinder (CD) - 104 runs @ 104.
- Sam Barriball (ND) - 102 runs @ 51.
- Harriett Cuttance (SI) - 96 runs @ 32.
- Skye Bowden (AKL) - 95 runs @ 23.75.
- Kerry Tomlinson (CD) - 87 runs @ 43.5.
- Nicole Baird (WEL) - 74 runs @ 19.
- Katriel Thomas (SI) - 72 runs @ 18.
Top Performers (bowling):
- Mollie Drumm (AKL) - 12 wickets @ 4.92.
- Macy Lyford (CD) - 7 wickets @ 6.57.
- Ocean Bartlett (CD) - 6 wickets @ 7.
- Dayle Anderson (ND) - 6 wickets @ 7.6.
- Elle Archer (ND) - 5 wickets @ 14.2.
- Emma Parker (WEL) - 5 wickets @ 7.8.
- Olivia McKnight (CD) - 4 wickets @ 3.
Tournament Statistics
Read full match reports from the final two rounds below!
ROUND FOUR:
Central Districts Māori 157-5 off 20.0 overs beat Te Waipounamu Māori 59-10 off 19.5 overs
CD Māori claimed a comprehensive victory over Te Waipounamu in a fantastic all-round display of cricket. Batting first, CD were put straight under pressure thanks to two early wickets from Te Waipounamu’s Grace Kitchen (2-19). CD were able to stabilise through Hinds’ representatives Georgia Atkinson (56*) and Kerry Tomlinson (50), both dealing in boundaries to push the total to 157-5.
In response, Te Waipounamu were unable to gain any momentum – with wickets falling in regular intervals. A fantastic spell from change bowler Olivia McKnight (4-12) seeing her side to the win.
SCORECARD | https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/new-zealand-cricket/maori-cricket-summer-202324/national-maori-tournament-wahine/game-centre/714ba2ca
ND Māori 87-1 off 11.4 overs beat Te Whanganui-a-Tara 86-6 off 20 overs
ND Māori hit the ground running in round four, registering a big victory over Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Bowling first, ND struck early through Mia Chatterton (2-18) – picking up the big wickets of Jess McFadyen & Estella Wallace. Nicole Baird (47) steadied the ship, however regular wickets stopped the Wellingtonians from gaining momentum. Dayle Anderson (2-17) also bowling a fantastic spell for the Northerners.
ND Māori looked under control in their response, the experienced Sam Barriball (44*) and Jessica Benge (23*) leading their side to a comfortable victory. Barriball batted the innings, swatting eight fours in the process.
SCORECARD | https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/new-zealand-cricket/maori-cricket-summer-202324/national-maori-tournament-wahine/game-centre/60b2e9bd
ROUND FIVE:
Te Whanganui-a-Tara 148-6 off 20 overs beat Te Waipounamu Māori 115-6 off 20 overs
Te Whanganui-a-Tara finished their tournament off in style with a victory over Te Waipounamu Māori. Batting first, Jess McFadyen (73) continued her destructive ways from the previous day – smashing 14 x fours and 2 x sixes in a brilliant display of batting. Ana Kendrick was the pick of the Te Waipounamu bowlers (1-13), who stuck together in the field to pick up three runouts.
In response, Te Waipounamu lost three early wickets but were able to find success through captain Harriett Cuttance (55*) and Charlotte Morris (26). Cuttance’s maiden tournament half-century saw her putting away seven boundaries to give her side every chance of a comeback victory. Te Whanganui-a-Tara would not allow the southerners to settle, however, picking up two timely runouts and bowling economically to secure their first victory.
SCORECARD | https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/new-zealand-cricket/maori-cricket-summer-202324/national-maori-tournament-wahine/game-centre/22b9d0ae
Central Districts Māori 107-1 off 16 overs beat Tāmaki Makaurau Māori 104-6 off 20 overs
Central Districts Māori came up trumps against Tāmaki Makaurau Māori in a deciding match against the two form teams of the tournament.
Bowling first, CD Māori made early inroads through Macy Lyford (3-17) who managed to pick up the wicket of the in-form Skye Bowden. Lyford was well supported by Ocean Bartlett (1-19), Jasmine Odell (1-16) and Molly Noema-Barnett (1-19) who bowled economically to keep the runs to a minimum. Sam Mackinder took a stumping and a catch in a tidy display of wicketkeeping. Tāmaki Makaurau looked to another in-form batter, Claire Crooks (43*), who partnered with Anika Todd (18) to see their side to a respectable total.
Despite an early wicket to Tournament MVP, Mollie Drumm (1-25), Central Districts Māori looked measured in their response. Central Hinds’ representatives Georgia Atkinson (35*) and Sam Mackinder (56*) played low-risk cricket, putting away the bad ball and turning over strike effectively. Mackinder’s knock was particularly impressive – blasting 10 x fours while striking at over 100. An Atkinson sweep for four eventually seeing CD Māori to victory with four overs to spare.
SCORECARD | https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/new-zealand-cricket/maori-cricket-summer-202324/national-maori-tournament-wahine/game-centre/e15dd8db
