Although nearly 1,000 New Zealand women play cricket, two-thirds of these are schoolgirls and most competitions have necessarily to be arranged to suit their needs. Each year, during the summer holiday period, tournaments are held for the first and second XIs of all associations. Provincial teams from Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago compete for the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in a series of two-day matches. At the same time the second XIs from the four main centres and the first XIs of their affiliated associations compete, in a series of one-day matches, for the premier trophies of each island. These are the Amalgamated Theatres Shield, for North Island teams; and the Mary Machin Shield, for South Island teams. In addition to these annual fixtures, representative matches are arranged from time to time between teams in lower grades.