Cricket playing New Zealand lawyers are being sought for the New Zealand men's team at the Lawyers' World Cricket Cup in Sri Lanka from 10 to 23 August 2017.

Organiser and team captain Scott Donaldson, who works at Invercargill law firm Hewat Galt Lawyers, says he would love to hear from any lawyers who might be interested.

The Fifth Lawyers' Cricket World Cup promises to be the best yet. The tournament has been growing in popularity and size each time it is held. The last Cup, held in Brisbane, Australia from 31 December 2015 to 11 January 2016, included teams from Pakistan, two from India, two from Australia, two from Sri Lanka, two from India, two from England and two Commonwealth teams. 

The tournament is as much a cricket tournament as it is a social gathering of cricket and law enthusiasts. The Australian hosts did a superb job of putting on several events during the tournament including multiple cocktail parties, dinners, ceremonies, a conference and a very impressive fireworks display.

There was no New Zealand team, and Scott Donaldson is determined that this won't be the case for the 2017 World Cup. Along with Wellington lawyer John Dean, he played for the Commonwealth A team at the Brisbane tournament.

Help from Australia

Australian lawyers at the Brisbane tournament were keen to help New Zealand make the next Cup. They floated the idea of an Australian tour to New Zealand to help get a New Zealand team off the ground.

The result was a two match series between the New Zealand Lawyers' Cricket Team and the Australian Lawyers' Cricket Team in Queenstown and Cromwell on 27 and 28 January 2017. The series was the first played between the two sides, and a new cup has been introduced to be competed for in future series.

The new cup is called the Holroyd Cup, after Arthur Todd Holroyd, who was a Judge in New South Wales and who also practised briefly as a lawyer in New Zealand. This story - along with a report of the two matches - is important enough to warrant its own coverage.

Click here to find out the result of the New Zealand/Australia matches, along with a blow-by-blow account of the action, and some more information about the new Holroyd Cup.

What to do if you're interested in participating

Scott Donaldson is very eager to talk to any lawyer who is interested in playing in the New Zealand team. You can contact Scott on 03 218 3137 or email him at scott@hewatgalt.co.nz.

Some more information on the Sri Lanka tournament

The Sri Lankan organisers have a Facebook page here and the New Zealand team organisers have set up a website with the rules and other information.