Last year’s champions Christchurch Boys’ High School and runners-up Napier Boys’ High School headline the 2025 Secondary School Boys First XI Cup tournament, as six top schools converge for a shot at a national title.
Christchurch Boys’ boast a remarkable success rate at the tournament, tallying 17 appearances and 13 titles since their first showing in 1997.
Adding extra intrigue is the return of Auckland Grammar School, who make their first appearance since 2000.
Led by recent NZ XI representative Marco Alpe, Grammar will be aiming to make a statement on their return and write themselves into the First XI Cup history books.
St Paul’s Collegiate is back after finishing fourth last year, aiming to climb higher in 2025.
They welcome back six returning players which will no doubt aid their push for a title.
Wellington College, with eight previous appearances and one title to their name, are another school with a proud history at the First XI Cup.
They will have the benefit of having several age-group representatives in their squad, with experience playing at Lincoln University this summer.
Making history this year is Wakatipu High School, competing in their first-ever First XI Cup.
Their campaign will be spearheaded by Otago U19 and Otago A batter Hugo Bogue, as they look to announce themselves among the country’s best.
Beyond the competition, the Boys First XI Cup is a celebration of school cricket tradition, talent, and a fantastic opportunity for cricketers to enjoy the company of their peers.
Follow the action live at nzc.nz, with one match per round streamed on NZC’s YouTube channel.
Auckland Grammar School:
Marco Alpe (c), Fergus Allan, William Barclay, Lucas Fong, Aditya Hathi, Ben Lucas, Noah Mackay, Liam Marshall, Harry McLeod, Joshua McNaughton, Sam Openshaw, Kaia Tauwhare, Harry Waite
Staff: John O'Neill-Fuller, Dave Mackay
St Paul’s Collegiate:
Campbell Soanes (c), Louie Austin, Finn Bell, Jay Benefield, Campbell Boyd, Caleb De Bruin, Quintus Daniell, Shima Fletcher, Josh Hart, Logan Hickey, Maccy Maber, McKay Murray, Leyton Panapa-Birch
Staff: Matt Hart, Duncan Murray, Michael Rameka
Napier Boys’ High School:
Saul Barker (c), Harry Beale, Charlie Furlong, Tommy Hay-McKenzie, Mitchell Innes, Lucas Jenyns, Luke McNally, Bruno Moriarity, Cooper Onekawa, Luke Pawson, Sam Pieterse, Fletcher Rodger, James Ryniker-Doull
Staff: Campbell Furlong, Michael Leitch
Wellington College:
Lucas Henderson (c), Adam Baker, Leo Bridgman, Bruno Brown, Oscar Dry, Ed Fell, Zac Fowler, Tom Hughson, Charlie Jackson, Sam Jones, Archie Sims, Sam Thurlow, Tom Wilkinson
Staff: Tyler Byers, Chris Thurlow
Christchurch Boys’ High School:
Harry O'Loughlin (c), Isaac Daly, Samuel Frame, Dylan Freeman, Yash Girish, Ollie Hastie, Cameron Jones, Corbyn McClurg, Luke Mitchell, Gus Quirk, Hanroux Wessels, Todd Williams, Carter Woodgate
Staff: Denis Aberhart, Rob Smith
Wakatipu High School:
Angus O’Neill (c), Harry Baker, Hugo Bogue, Conor Clarke, Liam Clarke, Toby Gallie, Hugo Mawdsley, Josh Melville, Divyam Nautiyal, Harper O'Meara, Jacob O'Neill, Ty Walker, Jacob Wards, Mathew Winstone
Staff: Walter Clarke, Micheal Goldstein, Ben Gallie, Matthew Langford, Craig Mawdsley
