Ashburton County Cricket in the Ashburton area extends back at least as far as the 1860s. An Ashburton team played a team from
Christchurch in
South Rakaia in October 1866. Shortly after the creation of
Ashburton County, the Ashburton County Cricket Club was formed in September 1877. It was dissolved in 1886 and re-formed as Ashburton Cricket Club. The Ashburton County Cricket Association was formed in 1896. A 15-man Ashburton County team captained by Godfrey Harper played the touring
Australian XI in March 1921, losing by 10 wickets. The team began competing in the
Hawke Cup in the 1950s, and played in six challenge matches between 1959 and 1977, but never won the title.
Mid Canterbury On its centenary in 1996, the association changed its name to Mid Canterbury Cricket Association. The five clubs in the Mid Canterbury Cricket Association are Allenton, Coldstream, Lauriston, Methven and Technical. ==References==