A timely spell of spring-like weather has enabled Marlborough’s cricketers to don their pads for the 2026-27 season.
The new season began at Horton Park on Friday with what is familiarly known as the “Mud Cup” tournament.
The tournament, staged for the third year, attracts clubs from the Christchurch competition, eager to get in some competitive T20 matches on grass wickets early in the season.
St Albans, Burnside West, Sydenham and Heathcote, a new arrival, joined with a Marlborough XI in a three-day quadrangular tournament.
The Mud Cup was claimed this year by Burnside West, who won all of their three matches, their fourth and final game on Sunday falling foul of a southerly rainstorm.
The Marlborough XI acquitted themselves well, beating Sydenham and St Albans.
Friday: Burnside (146-9) beat Marlborough XI (98); St Albans (72-1) beat Sydenham (69); Heathcote (99) beat Marlborough XI (74); Burnside (121-1) beat Sydenham (120). Saturday: Marlborough XI (123-9) beat Sydenham (111); Heathcote (136-6) beat St Albans (132-6); Marlborough XI (127-7) beat St Albans (123); Burnside (163-5) beat Heathcote (141-9). Sunday: final round washed out.
This weekend, a Marlborough Emerging Players side will take on their Nelson counterparts for the Barry Roberts Cup, the match staged at Horton Park on Sunday, 4 October.
Last season the top of the south Tasman Premier League [TPL], was resurrected and it is back in 2026-27, with play scheduled to begin on October 10.
Once again two sides from Marlborough, the Falcons (players drawn from the Wairau and Wairau Valley clubs) and the Dolphins (players from the Renwick and Celtic clubs) will take part. They will be up against six Nelson club sides – Wakatu, ACOB, WTTU, Stoke Nayland, Nelson College and Wolves (Wanderers/Motueka).
The TPL is the association’s primary pre-Xmas competition, running until November 21. This will be followed by a finals weekend on 5-6 December. The format is 50-over, white ball cricket.
A senior T20 competition will begin on Friday 20 November and run until February, when the much-anticipated finals will be staged.
To conclude the senior season a four-team, one-round white ball 40-over competition will take place, beginning 20 February, with a final on 20 March scheduled to wrap up proceedings.
As was the case last season, separate second and third grade competitions will be staged.
Second grade 40-over play will begin on 17 October. The second graders will play in just one 40-over competition through the course of the season, finishing up with a final in early February. A second grade T20 competition, played across two grades, will again take place, scheduled for a Thursday, 19 November start.
Third grade will consist of a single season-long 40-over competition, with a T20 competition running alongside for part of the season.
There is exciting news for the region’s women cricketers. This year a new women’s senior club competition will take place, the Te Tauihu Premier League. Four teams will compete for the title – a Marlborough XI, a West Coast/Buller combination, the Nelson Women’s Cricket Club and Wanderers Wahine.
It will be contested from late November, with finals planned for February 2027. Games will be played in Blenheim, Nelson and Murchison.
An early highlight on the cricket calendar is the annual inter-school quadrangular First XI tournament, involving Marlborough Boys’ College, Auckland Grammar, Christ’s College and Otago Boys’ High School in a series of 50-over games. This will take place from 6-8 October.
Rep teams
The Marlborough senior men’s rep side will be kept well occupied with a demanding calendar in place.
The annual Newman Shield games against Nelson are scheduled for 1 November, in Nelson, and 7 March, 2027, in Blenheim. Marlborough hold the prized Shield with rep coach James Bell saying the players are well motivated to keep the trophy this side of the Whangamoas, with a couple of seasoned operators opting to return to the rep scene.
On 27-29 November, they will travel to the Chapple Cup T20 tournament in Palmerston North.
The reps will play two Hawke Cup qualifying matches at home, against Nelson on 9-10 January and Buller on 16-17 January. Marlborough’s hopes of earning a coveted challenge are enhanced this year with their third opponent, Canterbury Country, who they play in Rangiora on 12-13 December, being the holder of the Cup.
The Marlborough women’s senior rep side again play Nelson four times, hoping to hold on to the prized Hiwa-i-te-Rangi trophy.
They begin with a 40-over match at Horton Park on 8 November, play two T20 games in Nelson on 22 November, then conclude with a second 40-over match in Nelson on 7 February.
A combined Marlborough/Nelson senior women’s rep side will contest the annual Shrimpton Cup tournament in Levin from 18-20 December.
Marlborough will field rep sides across a wide variety of junior grades. They include three primary school boys’ sides, at least one primary school girls’ team, both boys’ and girls’ year 9-10 teams, a boys’ year 11-12 side and a girls’ year 11-13 combination.
This season’s Marlborough Cricket Association staff comprises regional manager Jake Inwood, cricket manager James Bell and newly-appointed community cricket development officer Joel Lavender.
