11 August 2008 Canterbury Cricket launches Secondary Schools Twenty20 tournament

A number of South Island secondary schools are gearing up for an exciting new fixture on the sporting calendar following Canterbury Cricket’s launch of a Twenty20 tournament sponsored by Lincoln University.

The inaugural competition builds on the huge popularity attracted by the Twenty20 format around the world, and aims to foster the game’s development amongst a number of secondary schools throughout the South Island.

Canterbury Cricket’s tournament manager, Mike Fisher, says the organisation is delighted to continue its strong sporting relationship with Lincoln University in promoting the future of New Zealand cricket.

“The Twenty20 format has emerged as an exciting and immensely popular format for the cricketing public. Through the new tournament, we hope to foster the growth and development of the game further in Canterbury and the broader South Island. In achieving this, we are proud to continue our strong cricketing partnership with Lincoln University through this new event and the successful Sports Scholarship Programme,” he says.

Feedback from schools about the competition has been very positive, and entries are expected to grow significantly within the first three years as more students take up interest and schools field teams.

The popularity of the Twenty20 format is due to its abbreviated nature, where each innings is limited to just 20 overs, prompting livelier play that appeals to a wider variety of players.

A Twenty20 match is completed in about two-and-a-half hours, with each innings lasting around 75 minutes, which brings the game closer to the timespan of other team sports. For this reason, the game is more fast-paced and livelier, and this can appeal to those more accustomed to shorter, more intense sporting codes.

The Lincoln University Secondary Schools’ Competition, to be held 20-21 September, will comprise 12 first-XI teams from Canterbury and Otago, with matches played between grounds at St Bede’s College and Hagley Park in Christchurch.

Former NZ captain and Canterbury Cricket CEO Lee Germon will open the tournament at 9am on Saturday.

Each team will play four matches over the weekend and the tournament trophy will be awarded at a closing ceremony immediately after the final. Prizes will also be awarded to each team’s MVP, and the tournament’s highest run-scorer and wicket-taker. Each player will receive a training T-shirt and each coach a polo shirt for their participation.

In the event of inclement weather, 27-28 September has been reserved for the tournament.

Entrants for the Lincoln University Secondary Schools’ Twenty20 Competition: Christchurch Boys’ High School, St Andrew’s College, Christ’s College, Riccarton High School, Burnside High School, St Bede’s College, St Thomas of Canterbury College, Ashburton College, Timaru Boys’ High School, Shirley Boys’ High School, Otago Boys’ High School, and a combined Otago schools team.

About the Canterbury Cricket Association
www.canterburycricket.org.nz

Canterbury Cricket is one of six major cricket associations within New Zealand. The association is responsible for the administration of all forms of traditional cricket within the Canterbury region. The Canterbury region, which is the largest geographically in New Zealand, includes metropolitan Christchurch as well as five district associations including Buller, Canterbury Country, Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast.

About the Lincoln University Sports Scholarship Programme

Lincoln University created the Sports Scholarship Programme in partnership with sporting codes including the Canterbury Cricket Association, Canterbury Hockey, Canterbury Golf, Canterbury Netball, Canterbury Rugby Football Union, and Mainland Football.

The programme has brought top sports performers to Lincoln University where they combine academic study with the extension and development of their athletic and sporting abilities through a focused training programme and access to top-flight facilities and staff.

Scholarship recipients must be academically capable and demonstrate a commitment to complete a degree programme. Academic success is an essential part of the programme and the scholars must pass their university papers in order to retain their scholarships.

Previous and current successful Lincoln sports scholars include Richie McCaw and Andy Ellis (rugby); Michael Papps and Kate Pulford (cricket); Jo McCaw, Sarah Barnes and Katie Ritchie (netball); Jo Galletly, Jane Maley and Hugh Copland (hockey); Kristian Hutton and Georgia Goulding (football); Rodney Yee, Dean Cameron and May Chang (golf).

For further information, please contact:

Mike Fisher
Tournament manager, Canterbury Cricket Association
Tel: +64 3 363 5081
Email: mfisher@canterburycricket.org.nz

Karen Brown / James Richardson
Communicate IT Ltd
Tel: +64 3 381 6655 / 6656
Email: karen@communicateit.co.nz  james@communicateit.co.nz