International pair boost for Bay as T20 contest begins

IN A SPIN: Tauranga Boys' leg spinner James Boyd is in the Bay Development team taking on Waikato tomorrow in Rotorua.PHOTO/FILE

Two international players have been selected in the Bay of Plenty Women's team to play in the first two rounds of the Northern Districts Twenty20 competition, that kicks off today.

Bay of Plenty White Fern Anna Peterson, who will captain the Bay team in three T20 games at Blake Park, will be joined in the Bay side by Dutch international Cher van Slobbe. The 18-year-old, who is staying at the Ben Williams Cricket Academy during the summer, has played four games for the Dutch national women's team.

Peterson has played three games for the White Ferns and has blasted over 1000 runs for the Northern Spirit. In recent seasons, she has developed into a genuine all-rounder taking nearly 40 wickets for the ND team bowling medium pace.

The Bay team will take a strong line-up into the ND T20 competition, with the majority of the side having progressed from the Bay of Plenty Secondary Schoolgirls teams that have been among the heavyweights of the ND Secondary Girls tournaments in recent years.

The Bay selectors, in conjunction with new Development team coach Charles Williams, have introduced some new talent in their selection of the first Bay Development team of the season.

The Bay second XI will play Waikato Valley at Smallbone Park in Rotorua, in the season opener of the ND Development competition.

Greerton opener Kent Hodder has had his good early season form in the Baywide and Attrill cups rewarded with a berth in the team for the first time.

Another fresh face is Tauranga Boys' College leg spinner James Boyd, who can mesmerise batsmen with his leg breaks. Playing by invitation for Eastern Bay of Plenty in the Attrill Cup, Boyd was the Bay of Plenty Sub-Association competition leading wicket-taker with seven wickets.

Joining Boyd is fellow Tauranga Boys' first XI player Ben Musgrave, who made an outstanding debut for the Bay Development team late last season.

A blazing 115 not out against Hamilton, announced Musgrave's arrival in the ND Development competition in the Bay's last game of the contest.

Rotorua medium pace bowler Andrew Gibbs, who has played 14 games for the Bay senior men's side, will provide plenty of experience with fellow Central team member Jason Trembath a hard-hitting middle order batsmen.