An invitational side set up to fill a void left by Canterbury has been given no quarter by rivals at the annual Cricket Express U15 Tournament in Whanganui.
In its fifth season underpinning the Wanganui Festival of Cricket, the U15 tournament traditionally featured teams from all six provinces - Northern Districts, Auckland, Central, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago, although the latter only joined the competition three years ago.
But this year Canterbury opted out of the tournament leaving players still keen on competing heartbroken.
Tournament organiser Dilan Raj said after discussion with other regions it was decided to form an invitational side to allow some Canterbury players to travel.
"There were two Canterbury girls still very keen on coming so with help from other coaches we selected three girls from Northern Districts, three from Auckland and the rest from Central to form the invitational side," Raj said yesterday.