Cricketer Chloe Graham has tasted victory representing Aotearoa at the 2026 Rangatahi Cricket Festival in Auckland last week.
The 17-year-old, in year 13 at Ashburton College, was in the Maori schoolgirls’ side which played three T20 matches against international teams from Pasefika and South Asia. There was also an invitational side from Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club.
Aotearoa won the competition, winning all three games to earn maximum points.
The two-day festival, played at Lloyd Elsmore Park, January 28 to 29, involved secondary school girls’ and boys’ teams. Aotearoa schoolboys also won their tournament.
Chloe, of Ngai Tahu, was in a squad of 12 girls, coached by Justine Dunce and Katie Midwood.
The side, as well as the schoolboys’ team, stayed at Te Mahurehure Marae.
Chloe said the experience had been an eye opener. It involved many firsts, such as playing for Aotearoa and staying at a marae.
‘‘It was really enjoyable. I learned a lot about my culture,’’ she said.
‘‘We had to learn a haka and we had to perform that at the end, which was a cool experience.’’
Established in 2017, the competition was designed for secondary school cricketers of Maori whakapapa to represent their whanau, hapu, iwi, and kura.
Chloe, who has travelled to Christchurch to play cricket since year 8, now plays for Lancaster Park Club in the Premier Women’s competition.
She is most prominent as a medium to fast-paced bowler, but keen to expand her batting game.
‘‘I bowled in two games. The first game I bowled two overs (and got) one wicket for three runs, so that was really good.
‘‘The second game wasn’t as good,’’ she said with a smile.
In 2022/2023, the inaugural festival was hosted in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland between Maori and Pasifika secondary schools.
Its mission was to provide rangatahi with an opportunity to deepen their cultural identity through cricket and showcase their talents on a national stage.
This year was the first to include the South Asian sides, and the invitational side.
Attended by Ashburton teen, Chloe Graham, the festival officially opened Tuesday last week with a powhiri before two full days of T20 cricket action on Wednesday and Thursday.
Among the players named for this year’s festival included a host of age-group representatives and notable cricketing whanau connections.
Ryan Bond (Ngai Tahu), son of former Blackcaps fast bowler Shane Bond, was in the Aotearoa Maori Schoolboys’ side, and Indie and Jett Mene-Nash, the children of former New Zealand cricketer Dion Nash and Silver Fern netballer Bernice Mene, represented the Pasefika schoolgirls’ and schoolboys’ teams, respectively.
Each Aotearoa player received their cap and were also presented with a taonga greenstone pendant.
All the greenstone had been cut from the same stone.
Chloe received her cap and taonga from White Fern cricketer Eden Carson, also a former Maori schoolgirls representative.
The festival has capped off a busy cricket summer for Chloe, who returned to school at Ashburton College this week.
She was in Canterbury women’s under-19 team, competing at the national under-19 tournament at Lincoln earlier his month.
The week-long tournament was a mix of 50-over, and T20 matches.
This year, a well as year 13 studies, she has taken on a student prefect role in charge of the student recreation committee.
