Top schools’ cricketers returning to city
The national secondary school boys’ first XI cricket finals are coming back to Palmerston North, but only for a year.
The tournament was regularly held at Fitzherbert Park until Manawatu lost the hosting rights in 2011, when it shifted to Lincoln.
This year’s tournament clashed with the under-19 World Cup, so New Zealand Cricket asked Manawatu to be one-off hosts. It will run from December 4-8 and will follow the national secondary school girls’ tournament, which runs from December 1-3. tour, having been invited to take part, and is at the start of what should be a long PSA career.
Watts is aiming for a spot on the New Zealand team for the junior world championships in Tauranga in July. She played the junior Oceania championships at Henderson at the weekend, will play in a test match against Australia in Henderson this week and has a tournament in Cambridge.
Meaningful masters games
The World Masters Games in Auckland in two weeks’ time will have extra meaning for Wendy Baker. The cross-country runner is competing in the 45-49 age group at Auckland.
Her uncle, William Tarode Baker, was killed at Passchendaele during World War I and his name is on the Auckland War Memorial at Auckland Domain, which is where the cross-country run is.
Top umpires
Manawatu now has two national panel umpires calling the shots in premiership netball.
International umpire Angela Armstrong-lush has been officiating at premiership level for a few years, but now Ken Metekingi has been spotted on the sidelines with his whistle in hand, his first year in the premiership. There are 14 in the national umpire squad.