So traditional has the national secondary schools' cricket finals week become at this time of year, it almost demands a special title, something worthy of a famous New Zealand cricket hero.

It has to be admitted that 'Sutcliffe Week' has a certain ring to it, and may well help instil a sense of history that has all too often been missing.

New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) chief executive Christopher Doig thought the idea was well worth considering today and said he would look into the matter.

This year's Gillette and Yoplait Cups will be contested this weekend while the MILO Cup and Shield competitions for primary schools will be held from next Thursday.

The four Gillette Cup finalists for boys' this year are: King's High School (Dunedin), Auckland Grammar, Palmerston North Boys' High School (PNBHS) and Wanganui Collegiate.

This year is the 11th year of the boys' competition and a record 183 schools entered.

A series of limited-overs knockout matches were played in eight regional zones to find the finalists.

Each team will now play the other three at the finals weekend.

King's College (Auckland) and Christchurch Boys' High School are the joint holders of the Cup going into the weekend.

PNBHS has built up an enviable record of achievement in the Cup. It has been a finalist on seven occasions and has won the Cup three times. Wanganui Collegiate has been a five-time finalist with two wins. Auckland Grammar has been a finalist twice while King's High School is making its first appearance.

The finals will be played at Galloway Park in Hamilton where the New Zealand College Games are being held.

The girls' Yoplait tournament is in its seventh year and the finalists this year are: Epsom Girls' Grammar (Auckland), New Plymouth Girls' High School, Napier Girls' High School and Timaru Girls' High School.

A record 151 entries were received for this year's tournament.

Among the schools competing, Timaru has won the title for three of the last four years and is the Cup holder.

Epsom Girls' won the competition in its first two years and is a four-time finalist, along with New Plymouth Girls' High School. Napier Girls' won the title in 1998 and this year is its second visit to finals weekend.

It is traditional for the two competitions to be played in the same centre but this year, the Yoplait Cup is being played in Christchurch, at Ilam Grounds. This is to allow the players to attend the CricInfo Women's World Cup where they will spend some time with the CLEAR White Ferns.

The MILO tournaments are in their inaugural year and will be held in Auckland.

The MILO Cup finalists representing the best schools in their respective islands, Tawa Intermediate from Wellington and The Terrace School from Alexandra, will decide the boys' event while the MILO Shield finalists are Ekatahuna School and Rosedale Intermediate from Invercargill.

One hundred and fifty-eight schools contested the Cup section while 80 schools entered the Shield section.

NZC development manager Alec Astle said there had been overwhelming support for the national primary schools' competitions.

"We are thrilled with the number of schools who have entered in this first year. It will be a fantastic experience for these children, most of whom are from smaller towns and cities, to be flown to Auckland with all expenses paid.

"The winners will receive $600 of cricket equipment and the runners-up will receive $300 of cricket equipment.

"The two MILO competitions are a part of the New Zealand Cricket development programme launched at the start of the year. By the start of this season 70 cricket development officers have been recruited and the 87 introductory MILO 'Have A Go' cricket clinics have been established.

"It is NZC's aim to have every child in the country able to try cricket, and to have the game played in every school ground and backyard. The MILO Cup and MILO Shield are a showpiece of the programme," Astle said.

© CricInfo