Future stars here for Super 8

Robbie Tallot will captain GBHS. File picture.

SCHOOLS that have produced many of New Zealand’s current international stars will be in Gisborne next week for the Super 8 cricket tournament.

Seven schools will take part in the four-day tournament — Rotorua Boys’ High have pulled out — at Harry Barker Reserve.

Former first-class cricketer Mark Jefferson, who will be managing the Gisborne Boys’ High side, rattled off a list of current Black Caps who came through the schools in action next week — Ross Taylor and Adam Milne (Palmerston North Boys’ High), Mitchell Santer and BJ Watling (Hamilton) and world No.3 test and world No.4 one-day batsman Kane Williamson (Tauranga).

The seven schools will be playing 50-over games in two pools, with positional playoffs on Thursday.

Jefferson expects defending champions Hamilton and Palmerston North to be among the front-runners. These schools have “20-plus” cricket teams and usually feature strongly in the national secondary schools competition.

Gisborne Boys’ High, coached by Ben O’Brien-Leaf, have the daunting task of starting the tournament against Palmerston North on Monday. Jefferson says GBHS traditionally finish in the bottom half of the competition but if they play to their potential, they “will get a win along the line”.

GBHS will be captained by Robbie Tallott, fresh from playing for Northern Districts at the national under-17 tournament at Lincoln. Drew Scott has also been in in good form with the bat.

“The others just have to feed off them . . . contribute 20s or 30s, ball well, field well and take their chances,” said Jefferson.

Northern Districts Trophy compNORTHERN Spirit player Kerry Tomlinson is leading the Poverty Bay women’s team at the Northern Districts Trophy competition in Tauranga.

The Bay team, coached by David McDonald, faced Waikato Valley today and Hamilton tomorrow in the 40-over competition. They are without regular captain and senior player Mel Knight, who broke her ankle warming up for Northern Spirit a couple of weeks ago.

Poverty Bay complete the competition against Bay of Plenty on February 15. That follows a Northern Disticts twenty20 cup competition game also against BoP the day before.

The PB team for the ND Trophy are: Danielle Craill, Lucy McHugh, Kerry Tomlinson, Nicole Torrie, Tayla Hollis, Harriet Williams, Pheobe Taylor, Jayda Tainui (Counties-Manukau), Olivia Lobb (Northland), Jordy Hardacre, Tia Saunders (Northland).