TRENT BOULT OPENS NEW WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY CRICKET INDOOR TRAINING NETS

Black Cap star Trent Boult opened the new WBOPCA Indoor Training Nets last Monday (13 December 2021) evening in front of local cricket players, coaches and supporters.  

The new Western Bay of Plenty Cricket indoor training nets will add an extra dimension to arguably the biggest NZ Cricket sub-association in the country.

The delivery of these indoor training nets has been four years in the making, and long serving WBOPCA Board member and local cricket enthusiast Paul Wills, is thrilled that we now have got a facility completed.

“This is a game changer for our local and district representative cricketers. For the past four years, we have had no decent local indoor training facility for our local coaches/cricketers to use during the winter months, or when the weather isn’t good enough to be able to use outside training facilities.”

“This facility will be available for all cricketers to use, from your up and coming younger cricketers wanting to better their cricket skills, through to seasoned Northern Districts representative players keen to continue to hone their skills.” “It will also give all our school and club teams somewhere to start their team trainings in the July/August months, when it’s still too dark to train at their outdoor facilities.’

Western Bay of Plenty Cricket, has a pathway that starts with the Classic Builders junior and secondary school competitions, catering for 1100 registered age-group players. There are 27 senior teams that compete in Classic Builders Reserve and B Grade competitions. In addition, six Western Bay senior clubs field a team in BOPCA Baywide Premier competitions.

There couldn't have been a more appropriate guest to open the WBOPCA indoor nets than Black Cap pace bowler Trent Boult.  Western Bay of Plenty Cricket are extremely proud of “Our” home grown Black Caps in Mathew and Robbie Hart, Daniel Flynn, Graeme Aldridge, current New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Trent Boult. In addition, White Fern Anna Peterson is another graduate of the Western Bay Cricket age-group pathway.

The Western Bay of Plenty Cricket Indoor Training Nets facility, is a joint venture with The Athlete Factory, with the start-up sponsored by Tauriko Business Estate/Element IMF Ltd. The indoor nets are situated at The Athlete Factory headquarters at 124 Aerodrome Rd, Mount Maunganui.

Local Western Bay of Plenty cricket coaches, Sam Owen and Russell Williams, will be larger users of the facility during the winter months with their one-on-one and other cricket coaching programmes being run from the new Western Bay cricket unit.

Northern Districts Cricket coaches and training squads, have already availed themselves of the new nets and are scheduled to return in the second half of the season and throughout the winter months. Bay of Plenty Cricket will use the nets as part of their winter training schedule, along with local clubs, schools and teams.

There is also an option that parents may book the nets to give their cricket-mad youngsters a relief value to let of steam during wet weather. Western Bay of Plenty Cricket Coach, Sam Owen, will manage the new WBOPCA Indoor Training Nets Facility and from January 2022 booking can be made online visa the WBOPCA website www.wbopca.co.nz .

For Further Information Contact

Sam Owen     022 5141 155 or Paul Wills   029 612 8920