Cricket: Whanganui Chronicle Secondary Schools Cup runneth over with rainwater and postponed

The Whanganui Chronicle Cup runneth over with rainwater on Wednesday forcing the postponement of the annual T20 tournament for secondary school 1st X1s in the region.

Atrocious conditions forced the postponement of the 2019 Whanganui Chronicle Secondary Schools Cup on Wednesday.

Jordan Healy, Cricket Wanganui junior development and events, said the tournament would now most likely be postponed until early next year.

"Due to this atrocious weather this morning we're going to have to cancel play today. Also with this being a busy exam term we will look to run the tournament in term 1, 2020," Healy said.

Until the rain arrived four schools from the region, Whanganui High School, Whanganui City College, Whanganui Collegiate and Rangitikei College, were preparing to do battle on Springvale Park in a tournament designed to help form a relationship between schools and cricket clubs.

The format includes a morning session of T20 action to decide which teams playoff for the finals in the afternoon.

Six secondary schools aligned at Victoria Park in 2017 at the inaugural launch of the initiative to stem the flow of teenagers leaving the sporting code.

Cullinane College and Feilding High School have since pulled the pin on the tournament leaving just the four schools to do battle.

The aim remains to promote an annual T20 tournament for secondary school teams that do not have teams in the Cricket Wanganui Premier 1 men's competition.

It was also to complement term 1's league format with a knockout tournament in term 4.
Dilan Raj from Cricket Wanganui said the initiative was designed to help form a relationship between students and clubs.

"Traditionally the first age group to start leaving cricket is the Year 8 to Year 9 students, but the biggest exit is from the Year 10 to Year 11 15 and 16-year-olds," Raj said.

"We have purposely timed the tournament three weeks out from end of year study time when school teams don't play. They also don't play from December through to January which it is the busiest time for cricket.

"We have club representatives on hand umpiring the matches, giving them a chance to promote their various clubs and create a relationship with students who may otherwise leave the sport," Raj said.