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The Canterbury Country cricket team represents the rural areas of the northern part of the Canterbury Region in the South Island of New Zealand. It covers the area east of the Southern Alps, between the Clarence River in the north and the Rakaia River in the south, excluding metropolitan Christchurch. It is one of the 21 teams from around New Zealand that compete in the Hawke Cup, and has its base in Rangiora.

History

Early years

Cricket was played in Rangiora and Kaiapoi in the 1850s. The first North Canterbury Cricket Association was formed in Rangiora in August 1892, and the competition that season comprised six clubs: Cust, Oxford, Ashley County, Ohoka, Amberley and Woodend; Amberley won the first title. The association's name was changed to Ashley County Cricket Association in September 1896, then back to North Canterbury Cricket Association in September 1911.

The association's representative team frequently played against other Canterbury associations. An annual competition among them was established in the 1920s, and a combined associations team played an annual match against Canterbury.

In 1962 a new body was formed covering all the associations, initially called the North Canterbury Minor Association. Its constituent sub-associations were Ashley (renamed again from North Canterbury to avoid confusion), Banks Peninsula, Ellesmere, Hurunui and Malvern.

Hawke Cup years

The newly-formed North Canterbury team played its first Hawke Cup elimination match against Central Otago in December 1963, winning on the first innings. One of the founders of the Association, Allan Wright, was also the team's first captain. He led North Canterbury to their first Hawke Cup title, when they beat Manawatu in January 1967; he was also the team's top-scorer in this match, with 45 and 75. It was the first time a team south of Nelson had won the Cup since Southland in 1913. North Canterbury also won the Cup in March 1988 when they beat Southland.

In the early 1990s the association changed its name to Canterbury Country. It now has two divisions – North Canterbury for the area north of Christchurch, and Country South, for the area south of Christchurch.

Canterbury Country won the Hawke Cup at the first attempt, beating Nelson narrowly in March 1993. They have since won the Cup six more times, most recently in November 2022 when they beat Hawke's Bay and retained the title until November 2023.

References

1. ^ "Canterbury Country Cricket Association Incorporated Constitution". Canterbury Country Cricket. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
2. ^ "Ashley Cricket Anniversary Dates In Doubt". Press: 13. 13 March 1968.
3. "Town & Country". Lyttelton Times: 4. 24 August 1892.
4. "Town & Country". Lyttelton Times: 4. 23 March 1893.
5. "North Canterbury Cricket Association". Star: 4. 9 September 1896.
6. "Ashley County Association". Lyttelton Times: 7. 7 September 1911.
7. "North Canterbury Association". Press: 10. 27 August 1923.
8. "City Beats Country". Press: 10. 10 December 1925.
9. Arthur Carman (ed), The Shell Cricket Almanack of New Zealand 1967, Sporting Publications, Tawa, 1967, p. 94.
10. "Elimination Game Has Tense Finish". Press: 20. 18 December 1963.
11. "Celebrating Sir Allan Wright". Christ's College. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
12. Carman (ed), Shell Cricket Almanack 1967, p. 101.
13. "Years Since Hawke Cup Came South". Press: 14. 30 January 1967.
14. "Southland v North Canterbury 1987-88". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
15. "Club Information". Canterbury Country Cricket. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
16. "Nelson v Canterbury Country 1992-93". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
17. Francis Payne & Ian Smith, eds, 2021 New Zealand Cricket Almanack, Upstart Press, Takapuna, 2021, pp. 172–73.

• Cricket teams in New Zealand
• Cricket in Canterbury
• Sports organizations established in 1962