The Manawatu cricket team represents the Manawatū district of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It competes in the Hawke Cup.

History

Cricket was played in the region in the 1870s. The

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...

Cricket Club was formed in October 1878. The Manawatu Cricket Association was formed in 1895, made up of six clubs: Feilding, Palmerston North, Colyton, Carnarvon, Cheltenham and Birmingham. Manawatu played in the very first match in the Hawke Cup, when they defeated Wairarapa in December 1910, thanks largely to the bowling of

Arthur Ongley Arthur Montague "Joe" Ongley (21 June 1882 – 17 October 1974) was a New Zealand lawyer, politician, and cricket and rugby union player and administrator. Born in Oamaru, he later lived in Wellington, Napier, and Hokitika, before settling in F ...

, who took 12 wickets. They have held the Hawke Cup nine times, the first time from February 1928 to March 1930, and most recently from February 2014 to February 2015. They also held the trophy between December 1934 and February 1938, and between January 1940 and April 1947. Manawatu is one of the eight district associations that make up Central Districts, which competes in the first-class Plunket Shield, the 50-over

Ford Trophy The Ford Trophy is the main domestic List A limited overs cricket competition in New Zealand. Previous sponsor State Insurance did not renew naming rights in 2009, resulting in the competition being renamed the ''New Zealand Cricket one-day com ...

and the T20 Super Smash. When Central Districts played their first first-class match in December 1950, they were captained by Manawatu's

Joe Ongley Sir Joseph Augustine Ongley (5 February 1918 – 22 October 2000) was a New Zealand cricketer and lawyer. He was a judge of the New Zealand Supreme Court. Early life The son of Arthur "Joe" Ongley, he was born in Feilding and educated at St. Pa ...

Senior teams

The clubs that compete at senior level in the Manawatu Cricket Association are Bloomfield, Dannevirke HS, Dannevirke SC, Feilding, Freyberg, Manawatu-Foxton, Marist, Maw Haws, Old Boys, Palmerston, Palmerston North BHS, United and Wanderers.

References

{{Reflist Cricket teams Cricket teams in New Zealand Cricket in Central Districts Sport in Manawatū-Whanganui Sports organizations established in 1895