MOREE senior cricketers Alf Newman and Darrel Smith travel to New Zealand on Saturday to represent Australia in the Aboriginal over-50s Cricket Australia Masters Tour.

Smith and Newman will reunite with Moree old boys, brothers Percy and Les Raveneau, on the New Zealand tour, which takes in games against Maori teams from Auckland, Rotorua and Masterton.

The Australia versus New Zealand match at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Easter Sunday wraps up the tour.

All games are 45-over, one-day matches.

Smith, 58, has been named vice-captain, with Matt Lewis, fresh from an over-55s tour of South Africa, running on as captain.

Moree senior cricketers Alf Newman and Darrel Smith will represent Australia in the Indigenous over-50s Cricket Australia Masters Tour.

Smith is no stranger to New Zealand, while Newman will have his passport stamped for the first time.

“This is my third trip to New Zealand – and every trip has been to play cricket,” Smith said.

“The first time was when I was 19 and my second trip was only a few years ago.

“I went with the national championships teams, playing for New South Wales. New Zealand is part of the championships and hosted the matches that year, when two New South Wales teams played in the final,” he said.

While Smith is a seasoned traveller across the ditch, this will be 54-year-old Newman’s first trip offshore.

“I can’t wait to go. It should be a good time,” Newman smiled.

“This little tour came about when the New Zealand team invited the Australian Indigenous over-50s team to go over and play. They’ve organised everything – it’s fantastic.”

Newman wears many caps. He also co-coaches Moree Boars second-grade rugby league team with Charlie Shearer and last year went within two points of winning the Group 4 grand-final.

The full Australian squad comprises captain Matt Lewis, vice-captain Darrel Smith, Allan Llanbougoure, Rob Hyatt, Steve Jennings, John Jewiss, Peter Lee, Mark Lewis, William Moggs, Alf Newman, Les Raveneau, Percy Raveneau and Mark Smee.

Smith, Newman and the Raveneau brothers played together in the national team against New Zealand at Harrup Park in Mackay around this time last year and again in the Veterans’ Cricket NSW State Championships at Dubbo, playing for the Darrell Heffernan Trophy.

“The Kamilaroi team, a local side, went to Dubbo for the New South Wales State Championships. There were four of us from the Kamilaroi team selected to play for Australia,” Smith said.

“The team going to New Zealand is pretty much the same squad that played in Mackay last year, with a couple of changes.

“After Mackay, the Aboriginal over-50s team was invited to tour New Zealand. Everything has been organised for us, and now we’re going.

“We’ll play the New Zealand Maori side as well as a few provincial sides – the last game of the series will be against the Maori national team,” Smith said.