Four reasons you should be at Queens Park on Saturday
From Finn Allen to Jacob Duffy, there is plenty on offer at Queens Park for cricketing folk on Saturday.
The Otago Volts will host the Auckland Aces at Queens Park in Invercargill on Saturday in a one-day domestic cricket fixture. Why should you contemplate heading along? Logan Savory offers up four reasons that might sway you.
Auckland’s top-order firepower…
If opening batsman Finn Allen gets going on Saturday Queens Park might well be the best place to be in the country if you enjoy clean hitting.
The 24-year-old opening batter has spent time in the Black Caps setup and has been part of the Indian Premier League.
He missed selection for the recent ODI World Cup in India and will be after a big Ford Trophy campaign to start his case for future ODI fixtures.
NZ’s rising leg-spinning talent…
There are few better cricketing sights than a quality leg-spinner going about their craft. It’s a skill very few have mastered.
In Adithya Ashok Auckland has a good one. The 21-year has big wraps and has been identified as a promising prospect for New Zealand cricket.
He has already played a T20 international for New Zealand against the UAE this year.
Those at Queens Park on Saturday should get a chance to see him in action.
Time to make a statement…
It’s been a while since top-level domestic cricket has featured at Queens Park. There’s been some drainage issues and a requirement to sort its electronic scoreboard as well.
That has happened and now Southland cricket followers get an opportunity to show up in good numbers and indicate they are keen for more of these sorts of games in the city in the future.
Southland’s very own…
It’s been pretty scarce in recent decades around the number of Southlanders progressing to the Otago Volts, but Jacob Duffy has made up for that.
In his last outing for the Volts the former Southland Boys’ High School pupil etched his name into the Otago cricketing history books by becoming its all-time leading wicket-taker.
Duffy has already publicly stated he is ‘fired up’ for his Invercargill homecoming on Saturday and let’s hope Southlanders get in behind him.
We shouldn’t also forget Ben Lockrose who started his cricketing journey in Gore before heading to Dunedin to attend Otago Boys’ High School.
In recent seasons, when available, Lockrose has turned out for the Southland Hawke Cup team.