Otago
Otago Volts logo
Personnel
CoachDion Ebrahim
Team information
Founded1864
Home groundUniversity Oval
Capacity3,500 (can be increased to 6,000 by use of temporary seating)
History
First-class debutCanterbury
in 1864
at Dunedin
Plunket Shield wins13
The Ford Trophy wins2
Men's Super Smash wins2
Official websitewww.otagocricket.co.nz

The Otago cricket team, nicknamed the Volts since the 1997–98 season,[1] are a New Zealand first-class cricket team which first played representative cricket in 1864.[2] The team represents the Otago, Southland and North Otago regions of New Zealand's South Island. Their main governing board is the Otago Cricket Association which is one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket.[3]

Cricket was first played in Otago in 1849, the year after the province was settled by Europeans, and the Otago Cricket Association was founded in 1876.[2][4] The Otago representative team played in the first match which is considered to have first-class status to have been played in New Zealand, a January 1864 fixture with Canterbury which was part of a four team tournament which also included Southland and an English team led by George Parr which was touring Australia.[2][3][5]

The modern Otago team plays most of its home games at the University Oval in Dunedin, but occasionally plays games at the Queenstown Events Centre, Queen's Park Ground in Invercargill and Molyneux Park in Alexandra. The team plays first-class, List A and Twenty20 matches against other New Zealand provincial sides, although in the past has also played against touring sides.

As of 2024 the team's head coach is Dion Ebrahim and the captain is Dean Foxcroft.

Honours

1924–25, 1932–33, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1957–58, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1987–88

1987–88, 2007–08

2008–09, 2012–13

First-class records

Otago Volts batsmen at the Basin Reserve in December 2019

See also: List of New Zealand first-class cricket records
As of 28 October 2022[6]

Team totals

Individual batting

Highest partnership for each wicket

Bowling

Contracted players

Ahead of the 2023–24 season, 16 players were awarded contracts with Otago. In addition, Glenn Phillips holds a New Zealand Cricket central contract for the season. Other, non-contracted players may play for the side.[7][8][9]

As of 10 February 2024
No. Name Nationality Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes
34 Matt Bacon  New Zealand (1993-04-13) 13 April 1993 (age 30) Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
12 Max Chu  New Zealand (2000-03-21) 21 March 2000 (age 23) Left-handed
6 Jacob Cumming  South Africa (2003-12-14) 14 December 2003 (age 20) Left-handed Right-arm medium
32 Jacob Duffy  New Zealand (1994-08-02) 2 August 1994 (age 29) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
11 Dean Foxcroft  New Zealand (1998-04-20) 20 April 1998 (age 25) Right-handed Right-arm off-break Captain
7 Jake Gibson  New Zealand (1997-08-07) 7 August 1997 (age 26) Right-handed Right-arm medium
26 Luke Georgeson  New Zealand (1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 24) Left-handed Right-arm medium-fast Holds dual Irish/New Zealand citizenship
31 Andrew Hazeldine  England (1994-07-13) 13 July 1994 (age 29) Left-handed Left-arm fast Holds dual British/New Zealand citizenship
36 Llew Johnson  New Zealand (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 24) Right-handed Right-arm leg-break
17 Ben Lockrose  England (2000-03-24) 24 March 2000 (age 23) Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
27 Jarrod McKay  New Zealand (2000-06-08) 8 June 2000 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
10 Travis Muller  South Africa (1993-03-04) 4 March 1993 (age 31) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
86 Thorn Parkes  New Zealand (2000-04-10) 10 April 2000 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
8 Dale Phillips  South Africa (1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 (age 25) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
Glenn Phillips  New Zealand (1996-12-06) 6 December 1996 (age 27) Right-handed Right-arm off-break New Zealand central contract[10]
17 Hamish Rutherford  New Zealand (1989-04-27) 27 April 1989 (age 34) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox Retired from professional cricket on 23 January 2024
Ollie White  New Zealand (2001-11-21) 21 November 2001 (age 22) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox

Grounds

University Oval is used in Dunedin, with occasional matches in Invercargill (Queen's Park) and at the Queenstown Events Centre. Many matches have been played at Molyneux Park in Alexandra in recent decades, particularly during the Christmas-New Year holiday season. The warm, dry summer climate of Central Otago can make for better cricketing conditions than the wetter coastal areas. Oamaru (Whitestone Centennial Park) has been used in the past but not recently.

Notable former players

Main article: List of Otago representative cricketers

References

  1. ^ Canty happy with major sponsor, CricInfo, 30 September 1998. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Otago cricket history, Evening Star, issue 21864, 30 October 1934, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 23 February 2024.)
  3. ^ a b McCarron A (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 4. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. ISBN 978 1 905138 98 2 (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.)
  4. ^ Sixty years of cricket, Otago Daily Times, issue 23114, 13 February 1937, p. 22. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 23 February 2024.)
  5. ^ Carman AH ed (1981) A guide to first class matches played in New Zealand, 1863 to 1980, pp. 13–14. Nottingham: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. (Available online. Retrieved 23 February 2024.)
  6. ^ Otago first-class records, CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 October 2022. (subscription required)
  7. ^ Finn Allen returns to Auckland, Kyle Jamieson to Canterbury, CricInfo, 4 July 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  8. ^ Seconi A (2023) Volts sign all-rounder Luke Georgeson, Otago Daily Times, 4 July 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. ^ Men’s Domestic contracts finalised, New Zealand Cricket, 21 July 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  10. ^ Glenn Phillips joins Otago Volts, New Zealand Cricket, 1 June 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.

External links

Cricket in New Zealand
New Zealand first-class cricket teams
Categories