Taranaki cricket team represents the Taranaki Region of New Zealand. It competes in the Hawke Cup.
Personnel | |
---|---|
Owner | Taranaki Cricket Association |
Team information | |
Founded | 1877 |
Home ground | Pukekura Park, New Plymouth |
History | |
Hawke Cup wins | 6 |
Official website | https://www.taranakicricket.co.nz/ |
Taranaki as a representative team played as early as 1877.[1]
Between 1883 and 1898 Taranaki played eight matches that are now considered first-class. They won one match, lost six and drew one.
Taranaki's 13 innings totals (63, 55, 70, 39, 35, 29, 91, 135, 246, 124, 172, 108, 109) add up to 1276 runs for 130 wickets, an average of 9.81 runs per wicket. Their opponents scored 1649 runs for 88 wickets, an average of 18.73.
In the early 1900s Taranaki cricket split into South Taranaki (centred in Hawera) and North Taranaki (centred in New Plymouth). The two teams competed separately in the Hawke Cup from 1910–11 to 1922–23. Neither won the title.[10][11]
Taranaki reunited in the mid-1920s, and since 1926–27 they have competed in the Hawke Cup. In their first challenge match Taranaki beat Wanganui, Charles Clark taking 13 wickets.[12] They thus gained the title, which they held until Wanganui defeated them in the next season. Taranaki have held the title several times since, most recently in 2007.
The Taranaki Cricket Association is based in New Plymouth. The Association forms part of the Central Districts cricket team, which competes in first-class, List A and Twenty20 domestic cricket competitions. Since the 1920s Taranaki have played most of their home matches at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth, which is also regularly used by Central Districts.