Otago cricket team
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The Otago cricket team are a New Zealand first-class cricket team which first played representative cricket in 1864. The team represent 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.
They compete in the Plunket Shield first-class competition, The Ford Trophy one day competition, and in the Men's Super Smash Twenty20 competition. The team have used the nickname Otago Volts since the 1997–98 season, and in 2025–26 used the name Volts in the Super Smash.
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. 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.
The modern Otago team play most of their home games at the University Oval in Dunedin, but occasionally play games at the Queenstown Events Centre, Queen's Park Ground in Invercargill and Molyneux Park in Alexandra. The team play first-class, List A and Twenty20 matches against other New Zealand provincial teams, although in the past have also played against touring teams.
The team's head-coach for the 2024–25 season, Ashley Noffke, left to take up a position as assistant coach with the Pakistan national team after the end of the season. Former New Zealand coach Gary Stead took over the role in a temporary facility over the winter period, before Josh Tasman-Jones was named as the team's coach in August. The 2024–25 captain was all-rounder Luke Georgeson.
Honours
- Plunket Shield (13)
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
- The Ford Trophy (2)
1987–88, 2007–08
2008–09, 2012–13
First-class records
As of 28 October 2022
Team totals
- Highest total for – 651/9 declared v Wellington at University Oval, Dunedin, 2012/13
- Highest total against – 777 by Canterbury at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, 1996/97
- Lowest total for – 34 v Wellington at Carisbrook, Dunedin, 1956/57
- Lowest total against – 25 by Canterbury at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 1866/67
Individual batting
- Highest score – 385, B Sutcliffe against Canterbury at Lanaster Park, Christchurch, 1952/53
- Most runs in season – 1,027 GM Turner, 1975/76
- Most runs in career – 6,589 CD Cumming, 2000/01–2011/12
Highest partnership for each wicket
- 1st – 373 B Sutcliffe and L Watt v Auckland at Auckland, 1950/51
- 2nd – 254 KJ Burns and KR Rutherford v Wellington at Oamaru, 1987/88
- 3rd – 306 SB Haig and NT Broom v Central Districts at Napier, 2009/10
- 4th – 239 NB Beard and NT Broom v Auckland at Hamilton, 2012/13
- 5th – 266 B Sutcliffe and WS Haig v Auckland at Dunedin, 1949/50
- 6th – 256 NF Kelly and MW Chu v Central Districts at Dunedin, 2021/22
- 7th – 190 NG Smith and MJG Rippon v Northern Districts at Dunedin, 2019/20
- 8th – 165* JN Crawford and AG Eckhold v Wellington at Wellington, 1914/15
- 9th – 208 WC McSkimming and BE Scott v Auckland at Auckland, 2004/05
- 10th – 184 RC Blunt and W Hawksworth v Canterbury at Christchurch, 1931/32
Bowling
- Best inning bowling – 9/50 AH Fisher v Queensland at Dunedin, 1896/97
- Best match bowling figures – 15/94 FH Cooke v Canterbury at Christchurch, 1882/83
- Most wickets in season – 54 SL Boock, 1978/79
- Most wickets in career – 399 SL Boock, 1973/74–1990/91
Contracted players
Ahead of the 2025–26 season, 15 players were awarded contracts to play for Otago. In addition, Jacob Duffy and Glenn Phillips were both awarded New Zealand Cricket central contracts for the season. Other, non-contracted players may play for the team during the season.
As of 13 July 2025
| No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Matt Bacon | New Zealand | (1993-04-13)13 April 1993(age33) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | |
| 33 | Jack Boyle | New Zealand | (1996-03-24)24 March 1996(age30) | Right-handed | Right-arm offbreak | |
| 12 | Max Chu | New Zealand | (2000-03-21)21 March 2000(age26) | Right-handed | Left-arm fast | |
| Mason Clarke | New Zealand | (2007-02-20)20 February 2007(age19) | Left-handed | |||
| 6 | Jacob Cumming | New Zealand | (2003-12-14)14 December 2003(age22) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 3 | Zac Cumming | New Zealand | (2005-07-04)4 July 2005(age21) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | |
| 32 | Jacob Duffy | New Zealand | (1994-08-02)2 August 1994(age32) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | New Zealand central contract |
| 94 | Danru Ferns | South Africa | (1994-02-23)23 February 1994(age32) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 26 | Luke Georgeson | New Zealand | (1999-04-14)14 April 1999(age27) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Captain. Holds dual Irish/New Zealand citizenship |
| 7 | Jake Gibson | New Zealand | (1997-08-07)7 August 1997(age29) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 31 | Andrew Hazeldine | England | (1994-07-13)13 July 1994(age32) | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | Holds dual British/New Zealand citizenship |
| 2 | Troy Johnson | New Zealand | (1997-10-01)1 October 1997(age28) | Right-handed | Right-arm offbreak | |
| 36 | Llew Johnson | New Zealand | (2000-02-01)1 February 2000(age26) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | |
| 17 | Ben Lockrose | New Zealand | (2000-03-24)24 March 2000(age26) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 27 | Jarrod McKay | New Zealand | (2000-06-08)8 June 2000(age26) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | |
| 86 | Thorn Parkes | New Zealand | (2000-08-10)10 August 2000(age26) | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 23 | Glenn Phillips | New Zealand | (1996-12-06)6 December 1996(age29) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | New Zealand central contract |
| 73 | Jamal Todd | New Zealand | (2004-03-27)27 March 2004(age22) | Left-handed | Right-arm off-break |
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.