The Papamoa Cricket Club is one of this season's first recipients of ANZ's On Your Team cricket grants programme.

Papamoa Cricket Club President Mark Divehall organised a club night on Thursday, with a range of teams of all ages, where local ANZ branch manager Debbie Giles presented new gear to the club.

Like most community activities and services in the Bay of Plenty, cricket in the eastern North Island region is thriving – particularly in Tauranga's fastest-growing suburb Papamoa.

The club had a very generous start with the gifting of the land by the Alice Johnson Trust and in a few short months has grown to be one of the largest cricket clubs in the region.

Since it was officially established in August 2018 the PCC has grown to 155 playing members with more than 11 female and male teams across a range of ages. The club's wider community is around 300 members.

'A special thanks to ANZ – our players were excited to see the mountain of gear we were given. We're a new club and still trying to find out. This gear will help our players enormously as we head into our first season,” says Mark.

'The Papamoa community is a thriving one and it's great to see people like Mark, and I'm sure a range of other dedicated cricket enthusiasts, work together to ensure local cricket players and fans of all ages are catered to. ANZ is delighted to support this new club and we wish them all the best for the remainder of their season,” says Debbie.

Their club's youngest player is four, the oldest is almost 60.

The PCC is already proving its worth in the community as the local schools' teams are now managed through the club.

The club received a full adult Blackcaps team kit, a junior White Ferns team kit, and one junior Blackcaps team kit, plus a range of bats and beach cricket sets.