New Zealand Players Clash in Invitational Series Fixtures

New Zealand officially got their season underway with an expanded group of players being invited to partake in a five-match series at Upper Hutt Indoor Sports in Wellington in the last week of April.

Indoor Cricket New Zealand had not previously approved for training camps or trials to be completed in World Cup years due to funding constraints on players, and so this represents a changing perception in their pursuit for the World Cup titles.

With the Senior Provincial Championships not until the latter part of June, following which New Zealand sides are expected to be named for the tournament, the wider group of players asked to play in these series provides an indication of possible selections of travelling squads which will be trimmed down to 12.

For the Women’s side, 18 players attended the series, which featured several players with outdoor provincial experience, as well as six players who played for New Zealand in their 3-2 loss to Australia on the Gold Coast in September 2023 – captain Xara Jetly, Amberley Parr, Aniela Apperley, Hannah Kells, Antonia Hamilton, and Tatiana Gibbs.

The Under-22 Women’s side also had 18 players partake in the series, with two players in the wider squad from their 2022 World Cup triumph in Isabelle O’Connell and Kaitlynn Halliday.

Meanwhile, the Under-22 Men’s side had 19 players attempting to impress coaches over the weekend. This included seven players who competed in the 2024 Tri-Series in Adelaide against Australia and South Africa last September – Charlie Pawson, David Kingham, Harlin Amaral, Jack Gaskin, Josh Young, Sam Clode, and Tyler Annand, who has also come off his first outdoor season for Central Districts.

Results:

• Women’s Squad – Trial Series

• Under-22 Women’s Squad – Trial Series

• Under-22 Men’s Squad – Trial Series

Squad Lists:

New Zealand Women

• Amberley Parr - Northern Districts

• Aniela Apperley - Central Districts

• Antonia Hamilton - Wellington

• Claire Crooks - Auckland

• Claire Mains - Auckland

• Dani Brearton - Wellington

• Esme Olney-Boyd - Wellington

• Gemma Krebs - Wellington

• Hannah Francis - Wellington

• Hannah Kells - Wellington

• Katrina Wenborn-Farmer - Canterbury

• Katrina Mairs - Wellington

• Paige Loggenberg - Otago

• Phoenix Williams - Wellington

• Rachel Bryant 2 - Wellington

• Rachel Davidson - Canterbury

• Tatiana Gibbs - Canterbury

• Xara Jetly - Canterbury

New Zealand Under-22 Women

• Addison Jetly - Wellington

• Addison Stackhouse - Canterbury

• Bree James - Wellington

• Emily Glennie - Canterbury

• Frida Larsen - Wellington

• Greta Abbott - Wellington

• Holly Lightbourne - Auckland

• Isabelle O'Connell - Auckland

• Kaitlyn Halliday - Auckland

• Kat Thomas - Canterbury

• Kiri Anderson - Northern Districts

• Leah Watton - Auckland

• Olivia Crowe - Canterbury

• Meg Moffat - Canterbury

• Neena Woollaston - Auckland

• Olivia Ross - Auckland

• Scarlet Amos - Canterbury

• Thea Larsen - Wellington

New Zealand Under-22 Men

• Aidan Green - Northern Districts

• Billy Syme - Northern Districts

• Brandon Matzopoulos - Auckland

• Charlie Geange - Central Districts

• Charlie Pawson - Central Districts

• Dallas Crowe - Canterbury

• Daniel Van Straaten - Wellington

• David Kingham - Auckland

• Ethan Robinson - Central Districts

• Harlin Amaral - Auckland

• Jack Gaskin - Wellington

• Jacob Duker - Central Districts

• James Kingham - Auckland

• John Henri Turner - Canterbury

• Josh Young - Central Districts

• Quin Downie - Auckland

• Sam Clode - Northern Districts

• Sam Williamson - Wellington

• Tyler Annand - Central Districts

Image: Getty Images for Cricket Australia Indoor