Cricket Express girls U15s

OVERJOYED: Canterbury batsman Abby Gerken was overjoyed to be playing at the U15 tournament in Whanganui for the NZ Invitational team.

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.

"They were not selected on form, but rather selected from deserving girls who had missed out on selection from the other provinces, so there's no edge."

Coached and mentored by Whanganui's own Central Districts Hinds and New Zealand A player Jess Watkin, the invitational side went close to toppling Northern on the 30-over match of day one on Monday at Victoria Park.

Invitational were all out for 107 from 29 overs and Northern won with 109/6 off 22.1 overs.

Both Canterbury girls, Tatianna Gibbs and Abby Gerken second top scored for invitational with the bat posting 13 runs apiece.

In other day one matches Auckland beat Wellington and Central beat Otago.
For Gerken it is her third U15 tournament in Whanganui, while the second for Gibbs.

"When I found out Canterbury wasn't sending a team I was devastated and really broken hearted," Gerken said yesterday.

"But as soon as dad told me an invitational side was being formed and I was going to be in it, I jumped up and down all over the place I was so happy."

Raj said the gap left by Canterbury would be filled by an Australian age group side from New South Wales.

Yesterday morning a big hitting Gerken scored 45 from 49 balls in her side's demolition of Wellington in the T20 match, while opener Holly Topp scored a half century off just 56 balls Northern's loss to Central Districts. Auckland's Aimee Hucker destroyed Otago's batting line-up taking 4/12 off her four overs.

The afternoon 30-over session went well into the evening beyond Chronicle deadline.