New Zealand Cricket names squads for inaugural T20 Māori cricket tournament

The Te Whanganui-a-Tara squad. Photo / Supplied

Five regional Māori squads have been named for the inaugural Māori National Twenty20 Tournament.

The squads include include talent from Hawke Cup, and major association age-group provincial A and Māori secondary school levels, for the tournament this Easter weekend.

The teams are: Te Waipounamu Māori (South Island Māori), Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori (Wellington Māori), Central Districts Māori, McCaw Lewis Northern Districts Māori and Tāmaki Makaurau Māori (Auckland Māori).

The last team has already had many games over the past two seasons, including facing the Cook Islands and Northern Māori last year. The squad is coached by Māori secondary schoolboys Michael Tillet and Corey Todd, with Dusan Hakaraia and Jock McKenzie being looked to for leadership within the squad.

Central Districts Māori are bringing their upcoming talents with them to the tournament in the form of prospects Jerome Robinson and Samuel Payne, both of whom have played for the Māori secondary schoolboys this year. The team also has the experience to potentially bring home a title, with Taranaki’s Jarred Cunningham and Horowhenua-Kapiti’s Bailey Te Tomo in the team.

Dusan Hakaraia (Tāmaki Makaurau Māori) Photo / NZC

More Māori secondary schoolboys reps are in the Wellington Māori squad including Lachlan Bailey and Marco Muollo. They also have newly signed Wellington Firebirds Super Smash T20 player Jesse Tashkoff.

The north side has also played together in the past year, with veteran Charles Williams, who plays Bay of Plenty club cricket, as part of their squad. The captain is Mikaere Leef.

South Island Māori are managed by Matiu Workman, who says the tournament will allow players to showcase who they are as Māori.

“It’s so empowering to have a space within such a traditionally British and colonial sport, to not only explore our Māori identity, but also to allow us to live and play as Māori.”

Some of the South Island squad members include East Shirley cricket club batter Timothy Hampton-Matehe, Southland’s Brendan Domigan and Otago A wicketkeeper-batsman Oscar Wilson.

The teams compete on Good Friday at 2:30pm, with Tāmaki Makaurau Māori against Northern Māori to begin with, followed by Central Māori vs Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Two matches are on Saturday and Sunday.

A Māori National Women’s Tournament is planned in October.

FULL SQUADS

Tāmaki Makaurau Māori (Auckland Māori): Fraser Campbell, Ben Brady, Jack Clough, Elias Falanitule, Flynn Goodley-Hollister, Dusan Hakaraia, William Martin, Jock McKenzie, Noah Scordino, Harry Sinclair, Ryan Smardon, Jack Windler.

McCaw Lewis Northern Districts Māori: Mikaere Leef (c), Depp Bollingford, Brock Cameron, Curtis Cherrington, Fraser Farrell, Joshua Hill, Harry Jones, Ryan Metcalfe, Leighton Parsons, Ethan Price, Cohen Stewart, Samuel Wilson, Charles Williams.

Central Districts Māori: Aiden Clark, Jarred Cunningham, Dustin Emms-Healey, Taine Halbert, Bayley Latter, Rian Lyver, Jamie Marshall, Angus McKnight, Charlie Pawson, Samuel Payne, Jerome Robinson, Bailey Te Tomo.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara: Jesse Tashkoff (c), Lachlan Bailey, Kaleb Gilhooly, Ryan Jackson, Drew MacDonald, Henry McIntyre, Marco Muollo, Max Petrie, Mitch Scott, Nik Swain, Alex Thompson, Patrick White.

Te Waipounamu Māori (South Island Māori): Jamal Al-sukhon, Shaun Berryman, Toby Clemett, Brendan Domigan, Timothy Hampton-Matehe, Charlie Robson, Rory Sloan, Kobe Stackhouse, Reuben Stoffers, Oscar Wilson, Jake Kura, Brayden Thomas.