Cricket wrap: Life members, our test hopeful, Kotkamp's four, and more
The Southland Tribune wraps up some of the recent Southland cricket happenings.
The Southland Tribune wraps up some of the Southland cricket happenings which this week includes two special acknowledgements by the Southland Cricket Association, the prospect of a 46-year Southland cricket drought ending, Louisa Kotkamp’s stunning start to the season, and plenty more.
‘Blown away’: Stalwarts honoured with life memberships…
Gerry Ward was “gobsmacked” when on Monday night he and Bill Donaldson were awarded a life membership by the Southland Cricket Association.
Ward was aware Donaldson was going to be honoured. After all it was Ward who had nominated Donaldson about a month earlier.
But what followed Donaldson’s acknowledgement at the AGM on Monday night came as a shock.
“We did that part of the job [on Monday night] and then sat down and Allan Faithful got up and said; ‘what you actually don’t know is there is one more [life membership]’. I was gobsmacked. I was blown away,” Ward said.
He shouldn’t have been shocked given his level of service to the sport over many years.
Ward was born into cricket with his journey starting as a baby at Miller St as his father played for Marist.
He went on to carve out a lengthy playing career for Marist himself which eventually finished up when he was in his mid-40s.
Although it’s probably in a coaching capacity where Ward had the biggest impact.
Ward started coaching when he began teaching at the Tweedsmuir Intermediate School in 1984. Many of the players went on to play a lot of senior club cricket and some at higher honours - Jeff Wilson included.
He’s had various roles that have fostered cricket at the different schools he has worked over the years. He also coached an Otago Under-18 team that won a national title at one point.
Following his coaching days Ward also spent many seasons umpiring in Southland and has been regular on the Southland Cricket Association board.
His first stint was in 1984 and in later years he was the SCA board chair and now holds the role of Southland Cricket Association’s president.
Ward said cricket has been good to him, in regard to the people he has met from it.
“I think my best friends have come out of cricket. You get to meet some really cool people; you might be standing at square-leg umpiring and you end up chatting with someone for an hour or two.
“You might be in the pavilion together for three hours while the rain is coming down.”
Ward played a lot of cricket against Donaldson, who joined him in becoming the latest SCA life member.
Donaldson has poured plenty of time into both the Appleby Cricket Club and Southland cricket in general over many years.
His family’s involvement in the Appleby Cricket Club stretches back to the 1920s. His father played in the 1930s and Bill himself started playing for the club in 1969.
Bill - amongst plenty of other tasks - has been a key driver over the years collating a remarkable club record of playing stats.
But on top of his work for the Appleby club, Bill has also been a key figure with the Southland Cricket Association over many years. It included over 20 years as part of the Association’s board.
Ward said a lot of Donaldson’s work helping sort certain things at Southland Cricket HQ at Queens Park probably has gone unnoticed by many.
“Bill gets things fixed and gets scaffolding up around the clubrooms and doesn’t ask anything for it.”
Donaldson and Ward join Allan Faithful, Keith Adams, and Ian Folster as the Southland Cricket Association’s current living life members.
Another well-deserved volunteer award…
There was another tireless Southland cricketing volunteer honoured this week.
Otago Cricket runs an SBS Bank volunteer of the month honour. Four people are selected - one each from the Dunedin, Southland, Otago Country, and North Otago districts.
They then ask the public to vote for their winner.
Hamish Murie was the Southland nominee for this month and his popularity within the cricketing community was highlighted as he won the vote.
Murie has done plenty for cricket over many years, whether it be as a groundsman, club administrator, junior coach, manager or a lot of other tasks.
Congratulations Hamish.
Duffy or Smith? That appears to be the question…
Southland’s Jacob Duffy has been named in the Black Caps test squad for the series against England starting in Christchurch on November 28.
If Duffy can squeeze his way into the playing XI, he will end a long drought for Southland cricket.
You have to head back to 1978 to find the last former or current Southland Hawke Cup player to play test cricket for New Zealand.
Of course, Duffy, Jeff Wilson, and Brian McKechnie have played white-ball cricket for New Zealand but not in the purist of formats.
It’s been a long stretch since top-order batsman Robert ‘Jumbo’ Anderson played his last test for New Zealand against England 46 years ago.
You have to go back ever further to Gren Alabaster’s last test in 1972 to find Southland’s last born-and-bred test cricketer.
The Black Caps are likely to play four pace bowlers on a Hagley Park pitch where spinners have been almost non-existence.
Five pace bowlers have been named - Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Will O’Rourke, Duffy, and Nathan Smith.
Henry, Southee, and O’Rourke are almost certain to play leaving the other opening for Duffy or his former Southern Volts teammate Smith.
If Gary Stead and Tom Latham want to bolster the batting at No 8, Smith averages 27 with the bat in first-class cricket and will probably get the nod.
But this column is all about Southland, so fingers crossed that Duffy gets a test debut.
Brown’s Otago A outing…
Southland wicketkeeper-batsman Nick Brown got the opportunity to line up for Otago A in a match-up with a New Zealand Development team at Lincoln this week.
It was a three-day fixture which ran from Tuesday through to Thursday. Brown contributed two runs in the first innings before top scoring for Otago A in the second innings with 57 from 86 balls.
New Zealand Development won the match by two wickets.
Kotkamp’s stunning season start…
Southland’s Louisa Kotkamp has played a lead role in helping the Southern Sparks to a victory in the Sparks opening game of the 2024-2025 national women’s domestic season.
The Sparks took on Canterbury in Rangiora on Saturday as they started their Hallyburton Johnstone Shield title defence.
Batting first the Sparks made 198 for six from a rain-reduced 39 overs.
Then Kotkamp and the Sparks bowlers took charge bowling Canterbury out for just 60 with the Gore product the pick of the bowlers taking four for 17 from seven overs.
Club cricket…
There were some dominant performances with the ball in Southland’s senior club cricket action on Saturday.
Marist bowlers Dylan Hawkes (five for 13) and Abid Younas (four for 19) run through the Blue Mountain batting lineup to dismiss them for just 69 in the game played at Miller St in Invercargill.
Marist knocked over the required runs in the 13th over with the loss of three wickets.
Te Anau also found the going tough against Invercargill-Old Boys on Saturday managing just 48 after winning the toss and batting first.
Invercargill-Old Boys needed just 7.5 overs, and lost one wicket, in reply to win the game.
The Appleby, Central-Western showdown on Saturday at Appleby produced more runs. Appleby posted 228 for seven from its 40 overs after winning the toss and batting.
Ryan Rusk top-scored with 41 from 25 balls in an innings that included five sixes.
John White and Kyle Schins got Central-Western off to a good start in reply with a 54-run opening stand.
Connor Wells top-scored later in the innings with 48 from 31 balls in an encouraging display but Central-Western still came 30 runs short of victory being bowled out for 198.