The Proposal, featuring model Brittane Watson, is Samantha Trott’s installation for NZ Flowers Week. Photo Tom HollowCreating a floral installation representative of love was a dream come true for Ashburton florist Samantha Trott.

The Samantha Rose Flowers founder was one of five florists in New Zealand who were invited to participate in this week’s NZ Flowers Week.

The brief was to be flown to Auckland, and create a scene from the thousands of blooms and props on offer.

Each of the installations had to be reflective of an emotion tying into the event’s theme, The Power Of Flowers, and for Trott she was given the emotion of love.

“It’s like the most amazing experience that’s ever happened in my career, to be selected, I was overwhelmed,” Trott said.

She said the most unusual request she made while creating her installation had been for a bathtub.

“But they managed to find one, and the colour was perfect,” she said.

Alongside the bathtub she got to work with a wide range of fragrances and colours and types of flowers, including roses ranging in shades from lilac to red, as well as orchids, hydrangeas and snap dragons.

She said she named her work The Proposal, and it features a semicircle of flowers around an ottoman, with an engagement ring on it.

“The woman is slipping into a bath to admire her new ring,” she said.

“The floral backdrop and colours have been selected to represent her feeling all the love.”

The installations by the five florists were created in the lead up to NZ Flowers Week this week, but only released publicly this week.

Linda McKenzie from Dunedin, Kerri Murphy from Wellington, Kath Parkes from Christchurch, and Chikako Shiraki from Auckland, were the other florists involved.

NZ Flowers Week group marketing manager Rebecca Jones said New Zealand had a diverse range of home-grown florists who were experts and global leaders in the craft.

“This year’s florists have gone above-and-beyond and we’re so grateful to be working with such long-standing, world-class women for 2019’s event,” Jones said.

“It was amazing watching the selected florists assimilate their given emotion and conceptually grow idiosyncratic arrangements.

“Each florist has her own special narrative, which is beautifully transcended as they worked to produce a broad range of vibrant designs.”

By Susan Sandys © The Ashburton Guardian - 13 November 2019

Ashburton College’s Tom Middleton receives the trophy for successfully beating the Willows team on Sunday. Photo supplied.Every year the Ashburton College 1st XI heads north to take on a Willows Cricket Club XI, and it’s not often that they come home with a win.

But this year, they did.

They headed to the Willows for their annual match on Sunday and came home with a seven-wicket win to their names.

It was the first time Ashburton College had beaten the Willows since 2015, and it was also the young side’s first win of the summer, which will give them a big boost in confidence for the rest of the season.

Ashburton College looked in control from the start, after the Willows headed out to bat first.

The Ashburton bowlers started strongly and Tom Middleton took early wickets, and went on to end up with three to his name by the end of the innings, while two young year 10 bowlers – Liam Fuller and Will Jemmett – also performed well.

The Willows were eventually dismissed for just 72 and Ashburton College got there just three wickets down in little more than 13 overs, with Devon Flannery topping the run-scoring.

It was fortunate they knocked the runs off quickly, too, with rain setting in a few minutes after they finished.

It was a good win for the young Ashburton side, against a side that’s traditionally tough to beat.

The Willows Club’s objective is to encourage players in secondary school first XI’s to play with and against experienced players, many of who were present or first class cricketers.

They offer quality cricket in a country atmosphere and it’s always a day enjoyed by all.

Sunday’s experience for the young Ashburton players made even better by a visit and talk from two New Zealand cricketing legends – John Wright and Richard Hadlee – in the morning.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 12 November 2019

Ashburton College’s Liam Sullivan took 1/24 against Christ’s College on Saturday. Photo Heather MackenzieThe going was pretty tough again for Ashburton College’s first XI cricket side on Saturday, as they hosted one of Christchurch’s top school sides.

Christ’s College’s first XI made the trip to the Ashburton Domain and went home with a 67-run win to their names, ensuring Ashburton College’s winless start to Canterbury’s top youth first XI grade competition this season continued.

The visitors batted first and opening batsman Nick Lidstone got them off to an ideal start, top-scoring with 44.

Ashburton boy Tom Graham then chimed in with 24 as the Christchurch side’s next best batsman, helping them through to 158 all out off 38.3 overs against his former school.

For the Ashburton College bowlers Angus Jemmett took 4/39 off his 10 overs, while Tom Middleton took 2/25 off 7.3 overs and Ben Middleton 2/21 off five overs.

Ashburton College then got off to one of their better starts in reply, producing a couple of good partnerships and getting through to 69 before they lost their third wicket, and from there things went a bit pear shaped.

They lost three wickets while the score was on 69 – two of them nabbed by Graham – and went on to be all out for 91, continuing their run of totals just shy of the 100-run mark.

Isaac Bazley’s 29 was the best on the scoresheet for Ashburton College, while Jemmett was the only other batsman to reach double figures, with 12.

For Christ’s College, Graham did the bulk of the damage against his old school, taking 4/27, while Tom McClean took 3/20.

Next up, Ashburton College will hit the road for another tough challenge, with the St Andrew’s College 1st XI their next opposition in Christchurch this Saturday.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 12 November 2019