WISDEN WHITEWASH FOR NORTH HARBOUR

There may have been some reservations about how competitive North Harbour would be at Wisden Cup this year.  With the January floods still fresh in people’s minds, North Harbour players have had to be resilient in their need and want to practice, using multiple venues to get the training sessions in.

From the onset, team 2 showed they were there to play, not just as a second team but a team of talent in their own right.  With a qualifying tie against Wellington, they were not pushed winning   11-0.  This win put them into the playoff for Wisden Cup, a round robin draw of the six strongest teams in New Zealand.  Their next tie was against a strong and experienced Auckland 1, however their goal was to make an impact, which they did, winning four matches including the number one women’s singles and women’s doubles.  Day two started with an encounter against North Harbour 1, which was competitive yet a lot of fun with the final result being 12-0.  From there moving forward team two was on a winning streak with a 6 all draw against Waitakere and Auckland 2, both ties being won by one game, followed by a convincing 9-3 win over Canterbury to finish third overall.

Team 1 came into the competition as number one seeds, so a target was on their backs from the get go.  Their first four ties, including qualifying proved they indeed deserved their spot at the top, winning each tie 12-0.  By the final day, it was predicted to be two tough ties to overcome, one against Waitakere and the other Auckland 1.  Starting strong, the only match North Harbour dropped against Waitakere was the top men’s doubles, eventually winning convincingly 11-1.  The final tie of the 2023 Wisden Cup was against Auckland 1, a true battle of the bridge.  Winning three of four singles was a great start to the tie with the only other matches lost being the number two and three mixed doubles.  North Harbour 1 finished the battle with North Harbour winning 9-3, a truly dominating performance not only in this tie, but over the three days of competition.

Having two teams in the top three is nothing short of an excellence performance.  North Harbour 1 securing gold and North Harbour 2 finishing with bronze is an achievement to be proud of.  Even though we may not have a venue to train and play in, these performances from our teams show the resilience and pride our players have in calling North Harbour their association.  We, as an association could not be prouder.  CONGRATULATIONS NORTH HARBOUR.