Historic Secondary Schools Cricket Trophy Back In Play

New Zealand Cricket Museum & Cricket Wellington
Press Release
March 31 2017

Historic Secondary Schools Cricket Trophy Back In Play

The New Zealand Cricket Museum, in a joint initiative with Cricket Wellington and College Sport Wellington, announce the reintroduction of the Heathcote Williams Challenge Shield for secondary school cricket.

First presented in 1908, the Heathcote Williams Shield is named for its donor and the New Zealand Cricket Council’s first President, Edward Heathcote Williams. In its 109-year history, the Shield has been played for intermittently by schools throughout the country with Christchurch Boys, Auckland Grammar, and Palmerston North Boys featuring prominently.

In 1987 it was presented to the New Zealand Cricket Museum for safekeeping.The New Zealand Cricket Museum Director, Jamie Bell, is happy to see the Shield return to play:

“An object becoming part of a Museum collection doesn’t mean its story has to end so we’re happy to see the Heathcote Williams Shield in competition again and look forward to being able to expand on its story. It will remain part of our collection, on loan to whichever school has the honour of holding this prestigious, beautifully-crafted trophy.”

College Sport Wellington and Cricket Wellington will present the Shield to the winner of Wellington qualifying round of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cup, due to be decided at the Basin Reserve on Monday 3 April, 2017. The new holder will then put the Shield on the line in home challenges next season, with all New Zealand secondary schools eligible to contest it. Cricket Wellington’s Community Cricket Manager, Chris Nevin, is proud to be able to reignite competition for the Shield:

“We’re delighted to see the re-introduction of an historic piece of silverware back in to the College competitions. We are confident that this will become a highly sought after Trophy in the years to come and we are grateful to the Cricket Museum for allowing the Heathcote Williams Shield to come back into circulation for the first time since the 1980s.”

The Wellington regional final for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cup will be played between Wellington College and Hutt International Boys School at the Basin Reserve on Monday 3 April with the first ball at 10.00am. Tuesday 4 April is available as a reserve.

Visit nzcricketmuseum.co.nz/heathcote-williams for more information on the history of the Heathcote Williams Shield.

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