Cricket: Batting above average a common theme

The Havelock North Intermediate girls' First XI team (back from left): Serah Hartley, Tessa Coory, Jorja Pollock, Tessa Nettlingham, coach Bart Thompson, Maddy Johnston, Millie Simmons, Lucy Ward, Amy Culham and teacher in charge of cricket Rowen Hurley. Front: Captain Molly Fothergill (left) and , vice-captain Ruby Roberts.

When the Havelock North Intermediate School girls' first XI team board their flight tomorrow afternoon from Napier it'll be more than just a cricket quest at the national competition at Lincoln, near Christchurch.

It'll be a discovery of sorts. Not simply because only three of the 12 players have visited the South Island or 50 per cent of the team hasn't travelled on an aeroplane before.

No, it's something that'll be more pivotal to building their character. It'll be a group of schoolgirls who'll discover a little bit more about themselves as people rather than just cricketers.

"We have very good team bonding so at the end of the tournament, no matter what the result, we'll all still be good friends," says vice-captain Ruby Roberts.

Roberts is among seven year 7 pupils and five year 8 ones who will vie for the bragging rights to become the best intermediate schoolgirls' team in the country during the three-day Post Shield Intermediate School National Tournament from Thursday.

The Bart Thompson-coached Havelock North campaigners will represent the Central Districts major association region in twenty20 games against Belmont Intermediate School (Auckland district), Tauranga Intermediate School (Northern Districts), Raroa Normal Intermediate (Wellington), Heaton Normal Intermediate (Canterbury) and Arrowtown Primary School (Otago) at the New Zealand High Performance Centre grounds.

Havelock North, who have won the title previously, will play two games on Thursday and Friday and one on Saturday to decide who will be champions on a round-robin points system.

Says Roberts: "We're very excited about going to Christchurch, especially as half the team haven't been on the plane before and only three have been to the South Island."

She thanked New Zealand Cricket for paying for their flights and their 16 sponsors whose names they will sport on the backs of their specially made playing shirts after they donated $100 each.

The sponsors on each player and accompanying four adults' shirts are Steelworx, Harcourts, Vet Ent, CTC Logistics, Russell Roads, Team Todd Cater, Westpac Bank, Havelock North Fish, Strata Group, Camp Volley, Tiger Turf New Zealand, Engineering Cad, HB Tractor Dismantlers, Unio, Vet First and Bellatinos.

Captain Molly Fothergill says if teammates aren't able to bring their best to the park then there's no finger-pointing .

Remarkably the team only started playing this year and they are competing in the Bay high schoolgirls' competition because other intermediate schools haven't fielded teams.

Jorja Pollock only started playing the game this year. "She's a good batter and got two wickets this season and hit four or five fours," says Fothergill of the fellow year 8 pupil.

However, the captain started playing boys' cricket at the age of 7 when she was at Mayfair School.

Fothergill, Roberts, Maddy Johnston (year 8) and Tessa Nettlingham (year 7) are Bay intermediate representative cricketers but the captain was named 12th man in the Bay women's senior rep team a fortnight ago but the game was rained out.

For the record, Havelock North's highlight this year was beating Sacred Heart College First XI by six wickets in the secondary schools' competition.

They narrowly lost to Napier Girls' High School and heavily to Havelock North High School.

Fothergill says despite the losses the younger girls matured as players.

"We learned how to play a few fast bowlers."

Ironically some of the intermediate girls were teammates of Havelock North High players the previous year.

"It was good because we know the strength and weaknesses of their players," says Fothergill, revealing the intermediate team rejoiced in Tijuana Tilo taking the prized scalp of NGHS captain Margot Scoular.

The captain will attend Karamu High next year.

Roberts acknowledges the input of coach Thompson.

"We're grateful he gives up his time even though he doesn't have any children at our school anymore."