Seddon Cricket Club have many wonderful relationships with other Kindred Clubs around the country, in particular The Willows Cricket Club that are based in Loburn, Canterbury.

Every January Seddon Cricket Club sends a teenage team to play The Willows. Players that we select are from smaller rural schools around the Northern Districts geographical region. With the support of NDCA staff, contacts within schools and also our club membership, we identify and select players that we feel are worthy and meet the criteria.

The tour is funded by Seddon Cricket Club. For this trip we had support from Craigs Investment Partners, in particular Quinton De Bruin who hosted a mini putt tournament in March to fundraise money for the trip. We are very grateful for the support that Craigs Investment Partners gives our club and especially the support to send this team to The Willows.

The Willows Cricket Club, led by great men, Ben Dormer and Paul Rutledge, are a club that is steeped in tradition. They preserve the old fashioned values of cricket to the letter of the law! It really is a fantastic experience to play there.

Here is the Tour Report from Team Manager, Esther Williams:

On Thursday the 16th of January, a Seddon Cricket Club teenage team made the journey down to The Willows for the third year running. They met on an early flight to Christchurch and spent the first day getting to know coaches, former Blackcaps and Northern Districts representatives, Mark Bailey (ND#151) and Matthew Hart (ND#153), as well as the other team members. The team ranged in age and the boys came from as far as Northland, Mt Mauangui and Rotorua. Cohen Stewart captained the side.

First stop was Hagley Oval where the boys enjoyed a net session, followed by a tour of the Oval and the facilities. The team enjoyed lunch at the Riverside Markets before heading out to The Willows Cricket Club in Loburn. They enjoyed a fielding session and a fantastic dinner at Saigon Sister in Kaiapoi.

Friday - match day! The team were up early and were met by an experienced Invitational Willows side. Seddon elected to bat first and posted a competitive 197, a fine knock by Zac Laing scoring 57. Willows chased this down with 5 wickets to spare. It was great to see all the boys have an opportunity to bat and/or bowl in the fixture. It was an enjoyable game to watch with some great skills shown.

Thanks to Ben Dormer and Paul Rutledge from the Willows for hosting us, and the superb lunch! The score is now 1-1 - plenty to play for in 2026!

Thanks to Mark and Matthew for your coaching and mentoring, and to the lads who displayed the Seddon values superbly and wore the colours with pride on and off the pitch. We hope this tour will become a highlight of your cricketing memories!

Esther Williams

(Manager)

TEAM:

Andy Rogers (Hauraki Plains)

Kale Wellington (Mount Maunganui College)

Thomas Cutworth (Huanaui College)

George Williams (Pukekohe High School)

Cohen Stewart (BJ Watling Scholarship recipient)

Taylor Smith (Rotorua Boys High School)

Zac Laing (Whangarei Boys High School)

Connor Martin (Mount Maunganui College)

Michael Hamilton (Hillcrest High School)

Saber Kharwin (Hillcrest High School)

Harrison Clarke (Hamilton Boys High School)

Coach: Mark Bailey

Coach: Matt Hart

Manager: Esther Williams