Dustin Emms-Healey (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) and Kerry Tomlinson (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou) have been named as inaugural coaches of the CD Māori Wāhine squad.

Nelson-based Emms-Healey has been named Head Coach for the soon-to-be-named squad that will compete in the first Māori women’s cricket nationals | Te Whakataetae Kirikiti Māori ā-Motu mō ngā Wāhine that will be hosted by Central Districts in Heretaunga Hastings early next month.

Emms-Healey brings a heartfelt passion to the role after having been an inaugural member of the CD Māori men’s team that competed in their own history-making nationals at Easter earlier this year, in Whangārei.

CDCA

CD Māori men were unlucky not to walk away with a first victory from that tournament — pushing eventual champion Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Māori to the wire.

Helping the new sister squad to get that groundbreaking W for CD is top of the list for Emms-Healey.

The Nelson Cricket Community Cricket coordinator and certified coach will be assisted by Tomlinson who will combine her role as Assistant Coach with playing on field for the team.

A contracted Central Hinds representative, the adaptable veteran Domestic rep has been immersing herself in developing her cricket coaching experience whenever she’s not playing the game around the world.

PHOTOSPORT

Tomlinson, 33, is fresh off several weeks in Vanuatu where she was Head Coach of the Samoan Women’s Under 19 team, having been shoulder-tapped by New Zealand Cricket to help mentor the squad at the recent ICC East-Asia Pacific U19 World Cup Qualifier.

Tomlinson was selected for NZC’s Pathway to Performance coaching programme last year (2022/23 intake), a strategic programme that aims to provide development opportunities to emerging female coaches.

The programme specifically targets those who are coaching at the Community level and have aspirations to move into high performance coaching roles where female coaches have been scarce.

2023 Māori Schoolgirls coaches (L-R): Tanya Morrison, Katie Tahana, Justine Dunce & Kerry Tomlinson

PHOTOSPORT

 

Tomlinson assisted CD Cricket as our CD Under 19 Women Assistant Coach last summer, and was also the first female recipient of NZC’s Māori Cricket Scholarship that existed before the introduction of the new NZC stable of Māori cricket pathway programmes, such as the New Zealand Māori Secondary School teams initiative (established in 2018) and the newly fledged senior representative teams and T20 national tournaments.

She was also a driving force and player-coach for the Northern Districts Māori Women's team that started up eight years ago and toured the Cook Islands, when she was playing for ND's female Domestic team before returning to CD in 2017.

 

Tomlinson (left) previously player-coached ND's pioneering ND Wahine team

Tomlinson coached the New Zealand Māori Secondary School girls’ squad last summer and was excited to be offered a chance to coach at an international age-group level.

“It was an awesome coaching experience where I could pass on my knowledge and skills to a group who really appreciated having me there,” she said.

“I enjoyed being in a few new countries and learning about the cultures, and also the amount of fun you have as a group when you’re in a tournament.”

Five female teams will compete at Cornwall Park, Hastings from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 October.

The five teams align with the traditional Major Association catchments, with the exception of Te Waipounamu which combines the Canterbury and Otago Cricket Association areas and will stay at local Hawke's Bay marae over the three-day weekend.

Entry to all three days of the historic tournament will be free admission. The CD Māori Wāhine squad will be named later this week.

 

Article added: Monday 18 September 2023