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Junior hardball cricket will return to Rodney this summer for the first time in 16 years, giving young players the chance to play regular competition cricket closer to home.
Four junior hardball teams, representing Kaipara Flats, Warkworth and Matakana, will take part in the new Rodney competition. Games will be played on Friday evenings, alongside local softball cricket.
Northland Cricket Association development officer Liam Jones says the competition is the result of several years of work rebuilding junior cricket in the district.
Successful softball hubs at Kaipara Flats and Matakana have helped introduce younger children to the game and will continue this season. The addition of hardball cricket provides the next step, creating a pathway for players to progress without having to leave the district.
Until now, Rodney youngsters wanting to play hardball competition cricket have travelled into Auckland.
Jones said the association was grateful for those opportunities, which helped keep the game alive locally while player numbers were being rebuilt.
The association hopes children will see games being played at Kaipara Flats, Warkworth and Matakana and be inspired to give cricket a try themselves.
The four-team competition is regarded as a starting point rather than the finished product. The longer-term goal is to build a sustainable pathway taking players from softball through junior and youth hardball cricket, and eventually into the district’s senior clubs.
Rodney teams will also play exchange matches against Northland sides, providing additional opposition and strengthening links with the wider Northland cricket pathway.
The association believes the combination of less travelling, Friday night games and more cricket being played in front of local families and supporters will help grow the sport.
