Photo Credit: New Zealand Cricket
Dates have been set for a bumper summer of Hawke Cup cricket.
The battle for one of New Zealand’s oldest sporting trophies – launched 112 years ago – will begin early this season, with two Challenge Matches postponed from the end of the 2021/22 summer to go ahead next month.
The Zone 3 and Zone 4 Challenges were postponed due to the Omicron outbreak late last season, with current holder Hawke’s Bay left to look after the historic 1910 trophy for a second successive winter.
Now, the silverware goes back on the line. Hawke’s Bay will be hoping to keep their grip on the Hawke Cup for the calendar year when 2021/22 Zone 3 qualifier Canterbury Country finally gets to come to town to try to take it off their hands. Their rescheduled Challenge will take place on 4-6 November, at Napier’s Nelson Park.
The winner of that match will then host last summer’s Zone 4 qualifier from the lower South Island.
The 2022/23 Hawke Cup Challenge Match programme will then proceed as normal from January 2023, with the order of Zone Challenges to be confirmed following the completion of the rescheduled 2021/22 matches.
RESCHEDULED HAWKE CUP CHALLENGE MATCHES
(2021/22)
4-6 November 2022
Hawke Cup Holder Hawke’s Bay v Zone 3 Challenger, Canterbury Country
From 10.30am, Nelson Park, Napier
18-20 November 2022
Hawke Cup Holder v Zone 4 Challenger
From 10.30am at Holder’s home ground
2022/23 HAWKE CUP CHALLENGE MATCHES
27-29 January 2023
Hawke Cup Holder v Challenger TBC
From 10.30am at Holder’s home ground
10-12 February 2023
Hawke Cup Holder v Challenger TBC
From 10.30am at Holder’s home ground
24-26 February 2023
Hawke Cup Holder v Challenger TBC
From 10.30am at Holder’s home ground
10-12 March 2023
Hawke Cup Holder v Challenger TBC
From 10.30am at Holder’s home ground
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
