Young cricket stars smash the opposition for a six en-route to championship title

Watch out the Black Caps… here comes the Birkenhead Blue cricket team – fresh from winning the North Harbour year five B-grade championship by finishing their league season undefeated.

The victorious side of nine and10-year-olds went through the season bowling out opposition from East Coast Bays, Takapuna, North Shore, and fellow Birkenhead clubs, to end the summer with an enviable record of eight league wins from eight games.

Seven of the team are pupils at Birkenhead Primary School – and formed the nucleus of the school squad which took out an Auckland Cricket Association inter-schools cricket tournament in March.

Big hitting, lethal fielding, and crack bowling – including utlising the silky skills of the league’s only true spin bowler alongside two of the grade’s highest scoring batsmen – were key ingredients to the all-round winning performance of the side.

Followers of the all-conquering Birkenhead Blue team credit their sustained series of victories to a rigorous training schedule throughout the season – which even went as far as voluntary curfews the night before game days, so that concentration levels were sustained throughout matches.

The team was often praised by opposing sides throughout the competition for its sporting spirit, and the boys are now enthusiastic to remain together as a team for next season - proudly continuing to represent the Birkenhead Cricket Club, and progressing up to the year six competition.