Refreshed Osborne returns to captain Southland
“There’s a lot of guys that have stepped aside and I guess I saw that and thought I had something to add in that space, and to give back as well. It’s been quite exciting.”
The candle attached to Jason Osborne’s cricketing playing days has been relit.
The 36-year-old long-serving Southland cricketer is using the word excited a lot at the moment as he eyes a return to the Hawke Cup ranks.
After taking a break last season Osborne will return to play in the Southland’s 2024-2025 season opener against Mid Canterbury at Queens Park in Invercargill this weekend.
To add it all, Southland coaches Jason and Brendan Domigan have asked Osborne to take on the captaincy duties.
“Just having a year off with the family was good, it was a good refresher and I’m just excited to get back into it.”
“It’s a good young group of guys. There’s a lot of talent in there.
“There’s a lot of guys that have stepped aside and I guess I saw that and thought I had something to add in that space and to give back as well. It’s been quite exciting.”
Osborne’s longevity in the Southland cricket ranks has been remarkable.
He played his first senior cub game as 15-year-old in 2003.
“I still remember that game. It was a two-day game against Appleby. The Southland Boys’ first XI made the Gillette Cup final and I filled in.
“Time flies doesn’t it.”
In between the countless senior club games since that senior debut, Osborne has also emerged as a key figure in the Southland Hawke Cup setup.
It included being part of the Southland team that in 2018 won the Hawke Cup for the first time in 26 years when it beat Counties Manukau.
While he has taken on the leadership duties, Osborne doesn’t think his playing role in the Southland setup will otherwise change too much during his return this season.
That being as a bowling allrounder. He knows he’s got an important job with bat and ball.
“Personally, I think those 7, 8, 9 positions [in the batting order] are quite important because you are always in those pressure situations.”
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It’s been a patchy build-up to this weekend’s season opener against Mid Canterbury given the limited club cricket game time on the back of poor weather.
Southland has had one hit out against an Otago U19 which they won in a low-scoring contest.
While they could have done with a bit more quality match play, Osborne has been impressed with what has unfolded in training in the lead up.
“Our trainings have been quite intense, to be honest. A bit more fitness than what we usually do at training and just a lot more focus on the basics.
“That’s been quite refreshing, to come back in and the trainings have been really good.”
Given the nature of the short southern zone Hawke Cup series - in terms of games - Osborne is well aware of the importance of starting well against Mid Canterbury in the two-day game this weekend.
“It’s huge. That’s something I’ll be stressing because you are straight away on the back foot if you don’t win this weekend.”
One player is in line for a Southland Hawke Cup debut which is Sahil Rana who plays his club cricket for Invercargill-Old Boys.
Dunedin-based spinner Ben Lockrose has previously lined up for Southland when he is not required with the Volts.
But despite not being part of the Otago Volts Plunket Shield team at the moment Lockrose has not been released by the Volts to play in this weekend’s Hawke Cup fixture in Invercargill.
He will instead play club cricket in Dunedin.
Southland team to play Mid Canterbury: Jason Osborne ©, Nick Brown (vc), Blake Buttar-Scurr, Chris Case, Sam Downing, Aaron Hart, Jed Mockford, Liam McFaul, Sam Nicholson, Sithum Niluminda, Sahil Rana.