Cricket: Camps to hone young talents

Rotorua Year 5 cricket player Ashe Phillips, 9, practises in the nets ahead of his team's trip to Hawke's Bay this week. Photo / Ben Fraser

If Rotorua's Montell Graham and Cohen Stewart play anything like their favourite cricketers, there could be fireworks in Hawke's Bay this week.

The next wave of young Rotorua cricket players will pad up in Hawke's Bay this week during age-group cricket camps.

Four teams from Rotorua - a Year 9/10, Year 8 and two Year 5 teams - will make the trip down to Hastings. They will take on other sides from across the North Island as they look to grow in experience and develop as young players.

Rotorua Year 5 players Montell, 10, and Cohen, 10, are both looking forward to the trip.

Cohen said he was an all-rounder and he would like to score a few 25s this week.

"You can't get 50. You have to retire at 25," he said.

Cohen's favourite player was big-hitting Black Cap Corey Anderson: "I like him because he made the fastest 100."

Montell said he was also an all-rounder and his favourite cricket player was Brendon McCullum.

"He is really good and he encouraged me to play cricket when I went to one of his games," he said. "I have been playing since I started school."

Montell said he had been training quite a lot in the lead-up to the cricket camp, heading to the nets a few times a week with his older brother.

Rotorua Year 8 team coach Glenn Rumble said he had been to the annual cricket camp quite a few times over the years, and it was excellent. He said teams from Wellington, Auckland, Tauranga and all over the North Island attended.

Rumble said no competition points were awarded for games and it was a very low-pressure environment for the players.

"It's brilliant. It is fantastic. It is almost magical with the Hawke's Bay weather and the parents just love it."

The participants will stay at the Riverbend Christian Camp in Hastings but will play their matches around the Napier/Hastings area.