Festival cover up

COVER UP: Organisers were quick to roll out the covers to protect the Victoria Park wickets from steady rain yesterday. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY

THE annual Whanganui Festival of Cricket failed to get off the ground yesterday as rain forced the postponement of day one.

Organiser Dilan Raj said the covers were draped over Tasman Tanning 1 and 2 at Victoria Park to protect the wickets from steady rain and in the hope some play might take place later in the day.

"Unfortunately that wasn't possible, so we will assess our options overnight and come up with a plan to lose as few overs to rain as we can," Raj said yesterday.

Traditionally the festival begins with the under-15 girls' tournament and high profile mentors including White Ferns and Central Districts Hinds players. However, the unavailability of the main mentors this week prompted Raj to launch the 2017 festival with the under-18 competition.

"We want the girls to get the best coaching they can during their time here at the festival. This is a massive part of their development as cricketers."

After the under-18 tournament, which finishes on Friday, the crown jewel of the festival begins on the Monday with the fifth annual New Zealand Under-15 girls' competition.

All six associations will be represented, with Central Districts the defending champions after an undefeated run last summer.

They will again be coached by former Wanganui senior women's captain Esther Lanser, who is known for coaching techniques involving meditation and yoga sessions.

It will be a fresh squad trying to retain the title, given six to eight players from last year's team were now too old for under-15s after winning the tournament and coming runners-up the previous season.

Raj points to the tournament as being one of the proving grounds for top talent, such as excellent Wellington spinner Amelia Kerr, who was called into the White Ferns this October at the age of 16.

Whanganui's own Jessica Watkin, a New Zealand A representative and part of the White Ferns training group, is another to use the festival to keep honing her game.

After the girls' tournaments, there will be a series of boys' tournaments, beginning from under-13 through to under-15/16 development, each running for four days until January 20.