The wait is over as Expert Turf Taranaki premier cricket returns

Taranaki Premier grade cricket is back around the mountain this weekend with another exciting summer of cricket in store.
The Expert Turf 50-over title is first up for grabs beginning Saturday and running through to the final on December 10, before the 2-day competition begins ahead of Christmas and runs until March 24. The T20 competition will return to a pool-based format this year and run in January and February on Tuesday evenings.
The squads to start the year are in and, in contrast to last year where a number of sides came into the season with a very settled look, there is no squad with fewer than 5 players having departed since the start of last season.
It should add up to an exciting season, although when looking at the squads and picking an early front-runner it is hard to look beyond last year’s triple champion Merit RV New Plymouth Old Boys side.
Headlining their departures are match winning all-rounder Davis Mills, who has headed overseas, while other strong performers who will be missed this season are Ryan Gilmour and Jordi Fettis. However, the side has recruited strongly and welcomes the former NPBHS duo of pace bowler Fianlay Barnes and top order batsman Jacob Mitchell. The squad retains a strong core of last year’s impressive outfit including Whitaker Civil Taranaki men’s mainstays Mattie Thomas, who will captain the team, Josh Borrell and Central Districts A all-rounder Jordan Gard. Others looking for a big season this year will be Oliver Burbidge, Jarred Ritson and CD age group rep Liam Carr.
Nag N’ Noggin New Plymouth & Marist United, Old Boys’ chief rivals and beaten finalists in all three formats last season have taken some hits to their regular squad. Missing this year are Taranaki captain Dean Robinson, who has headed to NPBHS as player/coach, fiery Taranaki quick bowler Ryan Watson, and experienced campaigners such as Sam Fastier and Jacob-Leuthard-Richards. Three school players from last
season do come into the squad – Lenny Chapman and Jack Southern from FDMC and NPBHS’s Chester Oldfield. Marist should still have enough experience with players like Jarred Cunningham, Joshua Barrett, Robbie Yule, and Kurt Leuthart to ensure they’re in the conversation at the business end of each format.
Meanwhile, there have been big moves from the two high school First XIs in the wake of tough seasons in 2022-23.
Riddick Contracting New Plymouth Boys’ High School secured a real coup when they captured the services of prolific opening batsman Robinson from Marist as player/coach for the First XI. In another big move they brought in ex-Taranaki captain and old boy Jamie Watkins to help deliver coaching throughout their school systems.
Replacing some of their departing former students such as Mitchell, Oldfield, Barnes and Hrishi Bolar are players who have strong records in their lower ranks such as Rylan Vesty, Jamie Ingram and Taene Nelley. People will be expecting an improved season from NPBHS with the quality of work that has gone in over the off season.
It’s a similar story at Francis Douglas Memorial College, where the staff have made improvements to their programme coaching structures and recruited smartly for the Whitaker Civil First XI. Zimbabwean professional Tinashe Chimbambo has relocated from Hawera United to the school, where he will lead the development coaching programmes as well as perform in a player/coach role for the premier side. He will be joined as an adult player by a consistent run maker in Aaron Zame, who has made the move from Inglewood to strengthen the College’s batting lineup. Thomas Larkin also retains his place in the side, but this time as an adult player. From last year, players such as Samuel Taylor, Jack Kelsen, Lucas Vassilliou and Samuel Webby will help retain stability while new players such as Jack Rangiwahia, Zahn Hay Vega and Keshawa Jayasinghe will offset the loss of players such as Chapman and Southern, the Medagedara brother Indusara and Kalviru, and Luca Heyen.
The final city team, Stumble Inn Woodleigh, have farewelled a number of players, such as last season Taranaki A representative Bailee Meadows as well as Morne Pistorius, Blake Barrett, Harkiran Rai and Harmandeep Sharma among others. But the club has also done a good job recruiting in the schools with Heyen arriving from FDMC and Bolar from NPBHS to give the club an injection of youth. Returning players include Englishman Connor Coulton, skipper Josh Roguski, Shaun Sullivan, promising spinner Zac Betteridge and Jason McGrath.
Heading down State Highway 3 to Civil Quarries Inglewood, the Honey Badgers will also be missing several key senior players, none more so than Zame who is joined by Luke Dravitzki, and Jason Dombroski as the big names missing. The side has picked up a former school player of their own with Indisura Medagedara making the move. Other players new to the squad this season are Vatsal Gajjar from Auckland, Riley Biesiek, Ethan Brocklehurst and Gabriel Herlihy, while veteran Brent Stevens returns after an absence last season. A group of solid returning players such as Richard Clough, who played Furlong Cup cricket for Whanganui last season, Troy Chilcott, Bailey Wisnewski, when he returns from overseas in November, and Aaron Taylor will mean the side can win its share of games.
The story is similar in Stratford where the biggest name missing is that of Dutch international Clayton Floyd. But the club has secured the services of Englishman Ross Forrester, an attacking top order batsman who has come up through the Middlesex County pathway, to replace him. Forrester is joined from overseas by Andrew LeFeaver who has joined the club from the UK. Other newcomers are Beau Cronin arriving from Marist, and veteran David Simpson, while batter Finbar Moriarty returns to the club from Manawatu. Remaining in the squad from past season are seasoned premier and representative players such as Taranaki
batsman Liam Muggeridge, Christopher Coombe, opening bowler Grant Commerford and top order batsman Denis Milhalijevich.
In the deep south, at Metcalfe Real Estate Hawera United, the side has had a relatively small turnover after a good year last year saw them make the playoffs in both white ball formats. The departure of Chimbambo will hurt, while experienced players such as Liam Heibner and Mason Fleming have also moved on. But there are a number of players joining the squad this year including Nick Walker, back after missing a season, Cullum Tito from Pihama, Aruna Nanayakkar and Michael September. The side has a balanced core with Taranaki paceman Shay Smith joined by Ethan Keller in the bowling ranks, along with talented youngster Reece Holmes and big-hitting Rob Northcott always a danger when he gets his eye in.
The first round of matches begins at 11am on Saturday and features FDMC hosting Marist in a “big brother, little brother” match up, Inglewood heading south to the TSB Hub at Hawera, an intriguing matchup between Stratford and NPOB at Stratford High School and Woodleigh hosting NPBHS in what could be a tight tussle.
The weather forecast at this stage is for early showers to clear into a fine afternoon.
Full games details including new and improved live scoring are available here at PlayHQ.