Northern Districts women's cricket team

The Northern Districts women's cricket team, previously known as Northern Spirit, is the women's representative cricket team of the Northern Districts Cricket Association, based in the northern half of New Zealand's North Island. They play their home games at Seddon Park, Hamilton. They compete in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield one-day competition and also the Women's Super Smash Twenty20 competition, where they are known as the Northern Brave.

Northern Districts


Top: Northern Districts Cricket logo
Bottom: Logo for the Twenty20 team, the Northern Brave
Personnel
CaptainEimear Richardson
CoachJoanne Broadbent
Team information
ColoursNK
FoundedFirst recorded match: 1999
Home groundSeddon Park, Hamilton
Secondary home ground(s)Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Cobham Oval, Whangarei
History
HBJS wins0
SS wins0
Official websiteNorthern Districts

History edit

Northern Districts joined the New Zealand women's domestic structure in 1999–00, finishing bottom of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in their first year of competing.[1] Northern Districts have consistently been one of the poorest performers in both the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and the Twenty20 Super Smash, which began in 2007–08, and are the only current side to have not won a trophy.[2]

Northern Districts' best finish in the Super Smash came in its inaugural season, when they finished 3rd with 3 wins.[3] In 2019–20, they reached the final of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, but lost by 67 runs to Auckland, despite batter Felicity Leydon-Davis scoring 124.[4] Northern Districts' Caitlin Gurrey was the leading run-scorer across the whole tournament, with 576 runs.[5] In 2020–21, the side finished 4th in both competitions, with 5 wins in the Shield and 3 in the Super Smash.[6][7]

On 9 October 2021, it was announced that the Northern Districts Cricket Association were combining the brands of the men's and women's teams for the Super Smash, with both teams becoming known as Northern Brave.[8]

Grounds edit

Northern Districts' first match was played at St Paul's Collegiate Ground. Their primary ground soon became Westpac Trust Park, Hamilton, as well as using Wintech Park in the same city.[9]

From 2005, Northern Districts began using Blake Park, Mount Maunganui (later Bay Oval) as their main home ground, as well as later using Cobham Oval, Whangarei and returning to Westpac Trust Park, now renamed Seddon Park. The side has also occasionally used St Peter's School, Cambridge, as well as returning to St Paul's Collegiate Ground. In 2021–22 and 2022–23, they played the majority of their home games at Seddon Park, as well as playing at Bay Oval and at Cobham Oval.[9][10][11]

Players edit

Current squad edit

Based on squad announced for the 2023–24 season. Players in bold have international caps.[12]

No. Name Nationality Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batters
3 Lucy Boucher   New Zealand (2001-10-23) 23 October 2001 (age 22) Right-handed Right-arm medium
13 Yasmeen Kareem   New Zealand (1999-09-08) 8 September 1999 (age 24) Left-handed Right-arm medium
23 Caitlin Gurrey   New Zealand (1995-07-19) 19 July 1995 (age 28) Right-handed
28 Samantha Barriball   New Zealand (1985-10-28) 28 October 1985 (age 38) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
All-rounders
2 Carol Agafili   New Zealand (2002-11-20) 20 November 2002 (age 21) Right-handed Right-arm medium
4 Jess Watkin   New Zealand (1998-05-07) 7 May 1998 (age 25) Right-handed Right-arm off break
8 Eimear Richardson   Ireland (1986-09-14) 14 September 1986 (age 37) Right-handed Right-arm off break Captain
15 Nensi Patel   New Zealand (2002-05-27) 27 May 2002 (age 21) Right-handed Right-arm medium
Wicket-keepers
5 Holly Topp   New Zealand (2001-08-21) 21 August 2001 (age 22) Right-handed
12 Bernadine Bezuidenhout   New Zealand (1993-09-14) 14 September 1993 (age 30) Right-handed
Bowlers
7 Marina Lamplough   Hong Kong (1999-09-28) 28 September 1999 (age 24) Right-handed Right-arm medium
11 Marama Downes   New Zealand (2002-12-04) 4 December 2002 (age 21) Unknown Right-arm medium
19 Tash Wakelin   New Zealand (2005-12-19) 19 December 2005 (age 18) Right-handed Right-arm off break
20 Kayley Knight   New Zealand (2003-10-20) 20 October 2003 (age 20) Right-handed Right-arm medium
26 Shriya Naidu   New Zealand (1995-11-26) 26 November 1995 (age 28) Right-handed Right-arm medium
35 Jesse Prasad   New Zealand (1999-01-19) 19 January 1999 (age 25) Right-handed Right-arm medium
74 Eve Wolland   New Zealand (2006-07-07) 7 July 2006 (age 17) Right-handed Right-arm medium

Notable players edit

Players who have played for Northern Districts and played internationally are listed below, in order of first international appearance (given in brackets):[13]

Olympian Emma Twigg has also represented the team, fielding as the twelfth man in Northern Districts' final match of the 2021–22 Super Smash.[14]

Coaching staff edit

  • Head Coach: Joanna Broadbent[15]

Honours edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Bezuidenhout represented both South Africa and New Zealand in international cricket.

References edit

  1. ^ "State Insurance Cup 1999–00 Table". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  2. ^ Watkin, Evan (October 2015). "The History of Women's Domestic Cricket in New Zealand" (PDF). Cricket Wellington. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. ^ "State League Twenty20 2007–08 Table". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Grand Final, Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2019–20, 14 March 2020". New Zealand Cricket. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Batting and Fielding in Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2019–20 (Ordered by Runs)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Hallyburton Johnstone 2020–21 Table". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Dream11 Women's Super Smash 2020–21 Table". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Northern Districts Make Brave Change". Northern Districts. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Women's List A Matches played by Northern Districts Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Women's Twenty20 Matches played by Northern Districts Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Women's Miscellaneous Matches played by Northern Districts Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Strong 2023-24 Contract List Announced for Northern Districts Women". Northern Districts. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Northern Districts Women Players". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Emma Twigg keeps her oar in – but dabbles with a bat too". Stuff. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Northern Districts Head Coaches Selected for 2020–21". Northern Districts. Retrieved 4 April 2021.