Hawke's Bay heads into the fast-approaching 2024/25 season as the defending Mike Shrimpton Trophy champion in female 40-over cricket, but this summer it won't be the only major CDCA prize up for grabs for female Districts cricketers.

An exciting new addition to our competitions programme is a new inter-District T20 tournament for women - effectively, a female version of the Chapple Cup with six of our eight District Association members set to compete in the first edition.

The inaugural tournament will take place across three days, taking in the end of February and first weekend of March, and be hosted in Whanganui.

Nelson, Marlborough, Wairarapa, Manawatū, Taranaki and Hawke's Bay will contest the 2024/25 T20 title.

Additionally, some of these T20 matches - specifically, all the games involving the Nelson Nyxons - will also carry Mike Shrimpton Trophy points, serving as Nelson's away rounds for the summer.

Marlborough, who entered the Shrimpton Trophy for the first time last season on a trial (non-points) basis, will focus and participate in the T20 tournament only, this summer.

Districts teams will be able to apply for loan players to build their T20 strength, with the CENTRAL HINDS available for the three-day window.

That means the T20 tournament has extra spice.

It could prove decisive as to who gets to lift the Mike Shrimpton Trophy this season, as the last matches of the Inter-District summer play out in a rapid-fire, full strength showdown.

Defending MST champion Hawke's Bay in their club colours

New season dates were also announced today for the Mike Shrimpton Trophy itself.

The competition reverts to a five-team structure and begins with two big clashes on Sunday, 10 December in Masterton - where Hawke's Bay will kick off their defence away to the Wairarapa Koru; and New Plymouth, where last season's rampaging runner-up Taranaki will host perennially strong Manawatū, whom they defeated last summer.

Taranaki's Emily Cunningham made a century against Nelson last summer

CD's senior women's Inter-District 40-over competition is named after New Zealand Test player, former CD representative and respected coach, MIKE SHRIMPTON.

Born in Feilding, Shrimpton became the only New Zealand coach to have won an ICC Cricket World Cup when he guided the WHITE FERNS to the 2000 one-day world title.

He also coached the CENTRAL HINDS, and was a beloved mentor to many current WHITE FERNS and Hinds players before he passed away in 2015.

LAST CAMP SPOTS AVAILABLE - BOOK HERE

 

 

Literally the biggest trophy in New Zealand cricket, Mike's bat is unsurprisingly a coveted item in the world of female Inter-Districts cricket.

 

JAMIE WATKINS, CD's Female Pathways and Performance head, anticipates the new T20 tournament title will also be hotly contested.

 

"The tournament has been introduced to provide additional playing and learning opportunities for female Districts cricketers - helping bridge the gap in the T20 format between District and CD representative cricket," said Watkins.

Marlborough Women's inclusion is "a great example of how this new tournament can fit with a need from within the Districts," he added.

"It will also create opportunities for players, that they may not otherwise have, to test themselves against the best women from the rest of CD - and hopefully put their hand up for selection in our CD rep teams."

MIKE SHRIMPTON TROPHY

See the 2024/25 draw here

DISTRICTS T20 TOURNAMENT

See the 2024/25 draw here

Last summer’s Mike Shrimpton Trophy

placings were as follows:

Hawke’s Bay (30 points)

Taranaki (27)

Manawatū (23)

Wairarapa (12)

Nelson (0)

Article added: Tuesday 17 September 2024