Written by Christian Alexander and Callan Jensen (Year 11), edited by Marketing & Communications

FIRST XI || First XI v Mount Maunganui College (MMC)

The final game of the 2024 tour proved to be a nail biter. We won the toss, electing to bat on a fairly dubious deck, cracking at the surface. After losing a few early wickets, we consolidated through Hamish Down and Luke Alexander (50). However, we couldn’t hold on, being bowled out for 177. MMC continued to lose wickets throughout their innings with the honours being shared amongst the bowlers. A firm eighth wicket partnership by MMC saw the balance of the game swing in their favour. With the odds stacked against us, Shanuka Silva and Archie Stivano delivered two miraculous bowling spells and MMC was bowled out in the last over, falling 9 runs short. A fitting end to an incredible tour that saw the First XI go through undefeated.

AWARDS NIGHT || After a well-deserved dinner, the boys all came together to finish the tour with some delicious Mexican food and a couple of awards from the tour. Mr John Buchanan had given a special nickname to every boy on tour and presented us each with a peg and handwritten note to help us aspire to be the person we want to be. The boys all shared some laughs around the table with every award that was presented. A great way to cap off the tour. A special thank you to our tour guide Gillian, without her none of this would have been possible. She grew a special connection with every boy on tour. Lastly, our bus driver Ben. Ben’s kind compassionate smile would light up our day every time we stepped foot on his bus. Those two will always have a special place in our hearts and we thank them very much for making this an unforgettable tour.

Written by Loye Grayson (Year 9)

SECOND XI || Second XI v Tauranga Boys College

William Fanshawe (Year 11) started the game hard – winning the toss and choosing to bat. After a rocky start with a few wickets falling, George Knowles stabilised the batting order getting 34 runs. James Hockey and James Cowan both put in a strong effort with the batting – each scoring around 10. Unfortunately, the opposition were stronger than us on the day, with BBC all out for 95. A few great wickets were taken and some great catches caught but we just weren’t able to withstand the great force of their school.

Written by Cooper Lando (Year 10), edited by Marketing & Communications

SECOND XI || Day 8 started with breakfast from 7am. Then we hopped on the bus at 8:15am to go to the ground. We arrived to Blake Park to see a very green wicket with overcast conditions. We lost the toss and were sent into field. We had Mt Maunganui at 5 for 70 odd at the first drinks break. After the drinks break Mt Maunganui’s tail started wagging and they finished at around 250. There were some great bowling performances with Callum Mendis (Year 9) getting 3 wickets and Jimmy Cowan (Year 9) getting 3 maidens in a row and getting plenty of dots.

The batting innings wasn’t great with the boys being bowled out in the twenty-sixth over. Congratulations to James Hockey being the top scorer today (on his birthday!). And thank you to Mt Maunganui for the great fields and game.

FIRST XI || A solid win for the boys against Tauranga Boys College First XI. Tauranga out for 130 with Christian Alexander (2025 Cricket Captain) taking a hatrick! The boys chased the runs down comfortably, losing only 3 wickets. Continuing on the unbeaten tour streak.

Written by Archie Stivano (Year 11), edited by Marketing & Communications

After a bit of a sleep in, the boys packed up their belongings and jumped on the bus as we said goodbye to our accommodation at Cambridge. After a short drive to the tourism capital of Rotorua, we collected our tickets at the Skyline. Here, we had a chance to have a few rides down the luge, where a few boys may have sent their karts a little bit too hard around the corners. Battered and bruised, we departed for Tauranga, stopping along the way for a feed at the geothermal pools, and then for a stroll through the government gardens in Rotorua. Once we had reached our accommodation at Tauranga, the boys had a few hours up their sleeves in which some of us chose to chill out, and others decided to go for a swim or explore the surrounding area. To cap off a wonderful Day 6 in New Zealand on the cricket tour, we enjoyed a feed of ‘fush and chups’ at the hotel.

Written by George Knowles and James Hockey (Year 11), edited by Marketing & Communications

On Day 5 of our tour of New Zealand, we had a rest day; a nice break from the cricket. After breakfast we took a bus to Hobbiton, where we visited and explored the movie set of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Lord of the Rings. We were able to enjoy a very scenic walk through the film set and learn how the movie was filmed as well as take advantage of the many photo opportunities around the hobbit holes. After completing a fully guided tour that spanned two hours, we made our way back to the hotel where we had the opportunity to attend a net session at St Peter’s Cambridge. The net session gave the boys the chance to get in some extra repetitions before our last few games of the tour in a couple of days. The day finished with a great feed at the local pub and a quick watch of the Australia v India Adelaide test match before bed.

Written by Ryan Atley (Year 11), edited by Marketing & Communications

This morning, we got up rather early to catch the buffet breakfast at the hotel, before departing with our favourite tour guide, Jill, and the best bus driver to walk this planet, Ben. The hour and a half bus ride took us to our next destination, Cambridge, where we would be taking on St. Peter’s in both Firsts and Seconds. With questions being asked to Jill and Ben such as “How good is Shaun Johnson?” and “Who are the biggest names born and raised in NZ?” the bus ride went quickly and before we knew it, we had arrived.

In the Firsts, Christian Alexander (Year 11, 2025 Cricket Captain) won the toss and elected to bat. The boys were in for a massive innings, setting a score of 254, with special credits to Hamish Down scoring a whopping 108 off 105 balls, and Christian scoring 60 to close out the innings.

With a massive total on the board, the bowling was consistent from both the spinning and pace group to get the win over St Peter’s. Credit to debutant Tom Bree for taking 2 wickets to seal the deal. Having dinner with the Kiwi team after and heading back to the hotel was a great way to wrap up Day 4.

Written by Sam Alexander (Year 10), edited by Marketing & Communications

REST DAY || Today was the squad’s first rest day of the trip, and it was a great chance to relax and recharge. After a sleep-in and a late breakfast, the team walked down to the ferry terminal to catch a boat over to Devonport. Once there, everyone had some free time to grab food, go for a swim, or kick the footy around while enjoying each other’s company.

After returning to Auckland, the squad visited the All Blacks Experience, which was a lot of fun and gave everyone a chance to learn more about New Zealand’s rugby culture. From there, the team headed up the Sky Tower, where the views of the city and surrounding landscapes were incredible and made for a memorable way to end the day.

Overall, it was a fun day that everyone enjoyed.

Written by Oliver Hottot (Year 11), edited by Marketing & Communications

FIRST XI || Today saw us travel to North Shore Cricket Club, by the bay. Upon first inspection, the conditions were unusual, to say the least. Our field overlapped with the Second XI field and so the match promised to be a unique experience for all of the boys. After an early batting collapse saw us 8 wickets down with just over 100 on the board, a 90-run partnership from Shanuka Silva (Year 9) and Will Fanshawe (Year 11) pushed our final total to 200. With the ball, our bowlers applied early pressure to the opposition, keeping the run rate as low as possible. Thanks to Ashton Clark (Year 11) (5 wickets) and Blake Armstrong (Year 11) (3 wickets), North Shore crumbled, leaving them 30 runs short. A big congratulations to Ashton and Shanuka, who both stepped up when the team needed it most. Thank you to all of the parents, coaches, and other volunteers for making today possible; it was an unforgettable opportunity.

Written by Tommy Bree (Year 10), edited by Marketing & Communications

SECOND XI || On day two, we began with breakfast at the hotel before departing at 8:30 AM for North Shore Cricket Club. The Second XI faced Takapuna Grammar School’s First XI in what proved to be a challenging match. The opposition posted an impressive 278 runs, with Tim Richardson and Sam Alexander (Year 10) taking 4 wickets each in an admirable bowling effort. In response, our batting struggled early, with the team reduced to 6/35. However, Sam Alexander and Nilesh Patel displayed resilience, surviving 20 overs and putting together a valuable 50-run partnership. Unfortunately, we were all out for approximately 140 runs, falling well short of the target.

Despite the result, the hospitality from North Shore Cricket Club was outstanding, as they kindly provided pizzas for dinner. Day two highlighted key areas for improvement, and we look forward to building on this experience in the next game.

Written by Shanuka Silva (Year 9), edited by Marketing and Communications.

The toss went in favour of the home team – Saint Kentigern College First XI – and we were sent onto the field for what would become an eventful match. Opening bowlers William Fanshawe and Callan Jensen (Year 11) began the day strongly with a combined 10 over effort for only 21 runs. Ashton Clark, Blake Armstrong, Hamish Down, Ollie Hottot, and Christian Alexander continued the consistency through the middle overs, maintaining our hold on the game.

However, a commendable innings by Saint Kentigern’s Jacob Bainbridge (87 from 66 deliveries) saw a slight shift in momentum in the last few overs to give the home side a total of 5/213.

There were some commendable fielding efforts across the board, alongside solid catches from me and a superb diving catch from Luke Alexander. Opening batsmen, Blake Armstrong and Will Garate, arrived boldly, getting the College off to an excellent and rapid start with their partnership. A couple of wickets led to Ryan Atley declaring himself at the crease and beginning his instrumental innings.

The Saint Kentigern boys fought back hard to force a fairly quick fall of wickets in BBC’s middle order. But a solid partnership from me and Ryan Atley, continuing for many overs, helped secure our eventful victory. The game concluded with Ryan Atley (91 off 108 balls not out) and Ollie Hottot making the winning runs. Overall, the day was a success for the First XI and everyone made a great contribution. We look forward to the games ahead and hopefully starting a winning streak in New Zealand.