Cricket: Rotorua girl makes BOP U14 squad

A Rotorua player has made the Bay of Plenty Under 14 girls representative team. Photo/File

A Rotorua teen has made the Bay of Plenty Under 14 girls cricket team to play an invitational tournament in Northland.

Keira Hewison was named in the squad to play the Kaipara Under 14 Invitation Cricket Tournament at the Kaipara Flats Cricket Club on November 5-6.

The team will play against other Northern Districts teams from Northland, Counties Manukau, Waikato Valley and Hamilton. The nine-a-side tournament will see the Bay of Plenty girls play four games over the two days of competition.

The Bay under 14 team is the first step in Bay of Plenty Cricket women's cricket pathway, which follows on from the highly successful GoGirl Development programme managed by Bay of Plenty Crickets women's development officer, Rebecca Yee.

Bay of Plenty Cricket manager Tai Bridgman-Raison said the Kaipara tournament was an important stepping stone as players transitioned into the secondary school programme.

"For many players this is their first introduction to a tournament-type environment where they are playing a lot of cricket in a short space of time.

"Preparation has been good, with a series of training opportunities for the wider squad over the last two months. Rebecca has done an excellent job in bringing the group together," he said.

Team selection reflected the Bay of Plenty Cricket focus on developing the young women's game in the region, with representatives from both the Rotorua and Taupo areas.

Bay of Plenty: Jorja Neill (Taupo) Keira Hewison (Rotorua) Emily Pilbrow, Melany Sinclair, Sarah-Jane Stone, Scout Kennedy, Kaiya Holdem, Tash Wakelin, Rachel Wahab, Christina Gatenby-Hinton (Western Bay of Plenty)
Coach: Rebecca Yee
Manager: Leah Wahab