Congratulations to the following boys who have been selected in the Under 15 boys team for 2 upcoming fixtures against Southland Country & North Otago. Coach Emma Campbell was happy with the competition for places displayed at a recent trial and has high hopes for this team of young men.

​Thanks to all who trialed and our commiserations to those who have missed selection. 

• Keelan Smith, South Otago High 
• Tim Johnston, Wakatipu High School
• Christopher Nevill, Dunstan High School
• Michael Lord, Dunstan High School 
• Marcus Heatherington, Mt Aspiring College 
• CJ Kemp, Dunstan High School 
• Toby Hart, Wakatipu High School 
• Fergus Read, Mt Aspiring College  
• Blake Cormack, Otago Boys High School 
• Ben Johnson, Dunstan High School 
• Damian Carson, Maniototo Area School
• William Casey, South Otago High School

Welcome to the twelfth of our newsletters. I hope they help keep all stakeholders in the Otago Country network up to date with the happenings within our organisation.

We held our AGM last Thursday and the officers elected to run the association over the next 12 months are as follows,
Patron, Stewart McKnight
President, Geoff Blakely
Immediate Past President, Alex McHutchon
Vice President, Malcolm Jones
Board, Malcolm Jones (Chairman), Lindsay Breen, Shayne O’Connor, Graeme Buttar, Fraser Wilson, Jon Lovelock, Rhiane Smith, Donald Jackson (Treasurer and Minute Secretary), Geoff Blakely.

At the AGM two new Life Members were announced with Geoff Blakely and Dave Cummings who have given outstanding service to both the Central Otago and Otago Country associations added to the list. Both men have contributed for over 40 years and continue to do so. They both received a Life Members badge and a small plaque acknowledging their achievements. Existing Life Members Stewart McKnight, Barney McSkimming, Malcolm Jones, Alex McHutchon were on hand to welcome the new members and receive their plaques. Murray Hughes the Chairman of Otago Cricket and a supporter and friend of Otago Country was on hand to make the presentations. Richard Golden was unable to be there but has since had his plaque presented to him.

Prior to the AGM our Board met with Simon Hill from NZC to discuss/question us around the One Cricket review that is being carried out by NZC throughout all cricket associations. Some very open and honest comments were given.  

The Otago Volts were in Alexandra for a training camp last week over four days. They stayed at the Dunstan High School Hostel and walked over to Molyneux Park each day to train on the No 2 block. They were absolutely stoked with what they were presented with by way of the two strips and outfield Andrew Douglas the groundsman had conjured up so early in the season. They also made good use of the Alexandra pool and the Pulse Fitness gym. Simon Forde, head of Performance and Talent at Otago Cricket was full of praise and said, 
“On behalf of the Otago Volts support staff and players I would like to say a big thanks to Otago Country Cricket for the work they put in preparing what were excellent training facilities for last weeks preseason camp in Alexandra. Molyneux Park is a fantastic facility and it was at it's best last week with great pitch and weather conditions as you would expect from Central Otago. A special mention must go to Andrew Douglas, the Molyneux Park groundsman. It was a big ask to prepare quality surfaces in September but he did a stunning job. Some great trainings sessions were banked by the players which will at some point in the season reap rewards. Thanks to Lindsay Breen, Shayne O'Connor for all their work in putting this together as well as the team at the Dunstan High School Hostel who looked after us very well after hours. 
See you at Christmas for two great games of T20 at Molyneux. 
Cheers Simon”
We wish the Otago Volts all the best for their season, which starts with a Plunket Shield game against Central Districts on the 22-25 October in Nelson and as Simon mentioned we look forward to hosting them again on the 26th and 28th December. 

A wee bit of bad news re the relaying of the No 1 block at Molyneux Park. Due to some bad timing and unfortunate circumstances the Kakanui clay that was sourced from North Otago was unable to be used, as it was too wet so the job has been postponed. Good news is that it is in Alexandra and will be in great nick and ready as soon as Andrew is good to go next year.  

The Crosby Morris kicks of this Saturday at Molyneux Park No’s 3 & 4. The games start at 11am and are 50 over per side. The draw for the tournament is as follows;
October 8th, Maniototo v Vincent @ MP No 3. Umpires Ian Henderson and Mike Potter. Lakes v South Otago @ MP No 4. Umpires Russell Anderson and TBA.
October 15th, Lakes v Vincent @ MP No 3. Peter Pasco and James Blunt. South Otago v Maniototo @ MP No 4. Ian Henderson and Mike Potter.
October 30th, South Otago v Vincent @ MP No 3. Kannan SJ and Ian Henderson. Lakes v Maniototo @ MP No 4. James Blunt and Tanyaradzwa Mungure (TA)
Good luck to each competing team and for those of you with aspirations to play Hawke Cup cricket take the opportunities that present themselves. 

KiwiSport through Sport Otago have given us a grant of $10000 to assist us in running our ‘Skills’ package in schools. Willie Miller and Emma Campbell will be full on in the next two terms as they deliver this program. We are very grateful to KiwiSport for this assistance.

As mentioned in the previous newsletter we are looking for a few volunteers to assist with some preparation and helping out at times with covers up at Molyneux Park during the season. If you are able to help out in any way at all please contact me ASAP. The old saying ‘many hands make light work’ is particularly relevant at cricket grounds.

Good luck to the three teams from Otago Country that are heading down to the McCullum Cup in Dunedin this Thursday and Friday. Wakatipu High, a combined Dunstan High side and a team from South Otago High. Good luck to them all.      

Our two Cricket Development Officers, Willie Miller and Emma Campbell are as busy as. Emma started her school visits at the tail end of term three and they will both be flat out next week as the new term starts. Willie is back based in Alexandra and is working out of the Trail Journeys office at the Clyde turn-off and he can be contacted on 0212790979 or email Willie @ otagocricket.co.nz. Emma is still based out of Queenstown and can be reached on 0211242266 or email emma@coachingsolutions.co.nz If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either of them, or myself.

We are approaching 500 ‘likes’ on our Facebook page so get on and support it. There is plenty of interesting stuff going up. Also have a look at our website otagocountrycricket.co.nz for all your info around Rep programs, registration info, holiday programs etc etc.

Cheers,
     Malcolm Jones, Chairman  

Welcome to the 1st of our newsletters for the new season. The aim is to keep all stakeholders in the Otago Country network up to date with the happenings within our organisation. 

Huge news just released that Molyneux Park will host the SBS Otago Sparks on the 2-3-4 December against the Canterbury Magicians and then later in the month the SBS Otago Volts play two T20 games, 26th v Canterbury then on the 28th they take on the Wellington Firebirds. This is great recognition for the area and shows great faith in the work of the Molyneux Park groundsman Andrew Douglas and the quality of surfaces he provides. I can’t wait to see those banks packed with spectators both local and visiting. A huge thanks to Otago Cricket in having the faith in our organisation to support them in hosting these games.
​
While on the subject of Molyneux Park, Andrew Douglas and his team from Asplundh are currently in the process of re-laying the No1 block. This is the first time since the late 80’s that such a major resurfacing has taken place and should reinvigorate the quality of the block. This work will cost around $20,000 and is a collaboration between the CODC, Otago Cricket, OCCA, Asplundh and the Central Lakes Trust. This is a big investment into the future of cricket and will benefit all players in the Otago Country region and I want to thank all those involved.

Molyneux Park No 2 will host the SBS Otago Volts for a 4 day training camp during the last week in September 26-29th. This will be a full on training camp for the full squad and there will be opportunities for some community involvement. This part is TBA. Another show of faith in the work of Andrew Douglas who is working hard to make this happen.

The OCCA playing program has been completed and is available on the website otagocountrycricket.co.nz It is a really busy time leading up to Xmas including two age group boys tournaments, U17’s in Oamaru over Labour weekend and U15’s being held again at Molyneux Park 19-20-21 December and our Secondary Schoolgirls have a two day tournament in Dunedin 29-30 October. 

The Hawke Cup team program is as follows;
1st October. Hawke Cup Squad Training @ Molyneux Park No2.
8-15-30 October. Crosby Morris @ Molyneux Park No 3 & 4. All four teams to play each day. This will allow for all prospective Hawke Cup players to be seen by the selectors.
November 27th. Stewart McKnight Trophy, Otago Country v Dunedin Metro @ Oturehua.
December 3-4. Otago Country v North Otago @ Oamaru
January 14-15. Otago Country v Southland @ Molyneux Park No1
January 28-29. Otago Country v South Canterbury @ Molyneux Park No1
February 18-19. Otago Country v Mid Canterbury @ Ashburton 

You will have noticed above that the Crosby Morris is to be played over three weekends in October. This will allow the selectors to see all those who are keen to play at the higher level of cricket. At our last Board meeting each district representative gave the go ahead for this format for the season. It is now up to the players from South Otago-Vincent-Lakes and Maniototo to support this initiative and get into it. The squad is to be named soon.

It’s that time of year again with AGM’s at the various associations,
South Otago Cricket Association and Maniototo TBA
Vincent Cricket Association at the Cromwell Sports Club at 7-30pm on the 7th September.
Otago Country Cricket Association at Breen Construction at 5pm on the 29th September.
Otago Cricket Association at the University of Otago Oval at 5pm on the 26th October.
I encourage you to get along and support these organisations that give of their time freely to make your cricket experience enjoyable. These meetings give you the opportunity to make a difference. Take it. 

Our two Cricket Development Officers, Willie Miller and Emma Campbell are as busy as organising school visits, rep trainings, holiday programs, accelerator courses, coaching courses etc. Willie is back based in Alexandra and is working out of the Trail Journeys office at the Clyde turn-off and he can be contacted on 0212790979 or email Willie @ otagocricket.co.nz. Emma is still based out of Queenstown and can be reached on 0211242266 or email emma@coachingsolutions.co.nz If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either of them, or myself.

I would like to give a big shout out to Ian Mann and the Central Otago District Council for their help with the running of cricket up at Molyneux Park. We have just completed our ground bookings at Molyneux for the season and it’s been a pleasure working with Ian and his team. 59 ‘cricket days’ booked on the ground so far without any club cricket bookings so this great venue is getting plenty of use. The OCCA and CODC are continuing to build a good working relationship, which will continue to benefit us both in the future. Also the relationship that we have with the council contractor Asplundh groundsman Andrew Douglas is invaluable. As you have read Andrew and his team have a busy time this season and we wish him all the best.

Just following on from that, we are looking for a few volunteers to assist with some preparation and helping out at times with covers up at Molyneux Park during the season. If you are able to help out in any way at all please contact me ASAP. The old saying ‘many hands make light work’ is particularly relevant at cricket grounds.

While on the subject of ‘wanting’ people our Umpires and Scorers Association are always after more members. This is a great way of giving something back to the game once the playing days are over. If you are interested in helping out in any way don’t hesitate to contact me as ‘first port of call’ and I will point you in the direction of someone that will help. There are plenty of resources to assist with developing your skills in these areas, just ask! 

Keep an eye on the Otago Country Cricket Association Facebook page for news updates. You will notice the latest FB posts go on the ‘home page’ of the website as well.

We have just received our latest cricket gear through our sponsorship relationship with Kookaburra and it’s looking sharp. We have also picked up our Kookaburra cricket balls for the season from the Otago Sports Depot. No sporting organisation can exist without support from sponsors and funders and we appreciate the support we get from Blair Franklin and the team at Kookaburra Sport New Zealand LTD and encourage you all to support them as they support us.

Our thanks also to the New Zealand Racing Board for their generous grant to assist with playing equipment. It is greatly appreciated.

Please support these people and organisations where possible as they have supported us so generously.

If you have anything you want included in these newsletters please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 Cheers,
 Malcolm Jones, Chairman  

​Welcome to the tenth of our newsletters. I hope they help keep all stakeholders in the Otago Country network up to date with the happenings within our organisation. 

Our two Cricket Development Officers, Willie Miller and Emma Campbell are both tidying up after a busy season under the ‘new’ regime. Willie is now in his part-time role with us and is now based in Dunedin at the Otago Cricket offices. He will be back up in Central running holiday programs and assisting with our Winter Training program. It makes plenty of sense for Willie to be in Dunedin over the winter period as he will be able to upskill himself while working with the Otago Cricket High Performance and Coaching staff, which will ultimately benefit our association in the long run. He will also be fairly busy with planning for next season.
Emma has now finished her Summer Coaching role for this season and will be assisting in our season debrief and also helping to plan our Winter Coaching program. Emma has done another top job up in the Queenstown/Wanaka area and helping out with coaching our rep teams. We are so fortunate to have someone with Emma’s passion driving our girls cricket in particular, and driving our sport in what is a growing area. Rest assured we will be fighting like hell to have her back next season. Emma is soon to take off for a break in Europe and we wish her ‘happy holidays’.
I’d like to thank them both for the effort they both put into the season and will look forward to hearing all about their seasons, and plans for the next one, when we have our debriefs. Willie can be contacted on 0212790979 or email Willie @ otagocricket.co.nz If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Willie or myself.

At the recent Otago Cricket Awards night Graeme Buttar was honoured with a ‘Services to Cricket Award’ for his outstanding contribution to the Cromwell CC and Otago Country Association, particularly for his input into junior cricket but also the contribution he has made to Otago Country overall. This was nice acknowledgment for the loads of work Graeme has done in our region over a considerable time. 
It was also nice to see Murray Hughes awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Cricket Award. Murray heads Aotea Electric who sponsored our association for a considerable period of time and has been on the board, and chairman of, Otago Cricket for a number of years. 
Also at the awards our Secondary Schoolgirls side were recognised for winning their Tournament and Kate Heffernan was named Batsman of the Year for the Otago U21 Womens team.

While on the subject of awards functions I have been asked a few times why we don’t have them any longer and the truth is we just simply run out of time. We have held them in the past but it became a logistical nightmare trying to get everyone together in one spot at a nominated time and place. One of the pitfalls of covering such a wide area and most of our young people involved in multi sporting activities. This isn’t simply an excuse but a genuine reason and I am working on a solution.

Fraser Wilson our Hawke Cup ‘head honcho’ has been going through a bit of a debrief around the past performance and planning the way forward for our future Hawke Cup campaigns. He has some ideas that will become evident as time rolls on. More early season Sunday games against good opposition on grass, for the squad, leading into the Hawke Cup program is a distinct possibility. Obviously more to follow.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank anyone who has contributed in any way to assist the OCCA over this last season.
Be it the mums and dads that take our young people to games, coaches, scorers, managers, administrators, groundsmen and followers of cricket. Cricket people the volunteer and give of your time so freely so that the game of cricket in our vast area can function as well as it does. Thanks again and rest up over the winter because in around five months we’ll be doing it all again!

While on the subject of thanking people and organisations for their help and assistance over the season past I would like to give a big shout out to Ian Mann and the Central Otago District Council for their help with the running of cricket especially up at Molyneux Park. The OCCA and CODC are building a good working relationship, which will benefit both of us in the future. Also the relationship that we have with the council contractors Asplundh and their groundsman at Molyneux Park, Andrew Douglas is invaluable. Andrew has done another stunning job with the grounds and pitches at Molyneux Park and we thank him for all his work.

Keep an eye on the Otago Country Cricket Association Facebook page for news updates. You will notice the latest FB posts go on the ‘home page’ of the website as well.

Just to repeat from previous newsletters, no sporting organisation can run without the help of sponsors and funding partners and the Otago Country Cricket Association would like to thank the following for their brilliant help for the 2015-16 season.
The Bendigo Valley Sports and Charity 
The Lion Foundation
KiwiSport
Geosolve
NZ Community Trust
Pub Charity
Mark Wilson, Marketing and Fitness Consultant
Kookaburra

Please support these people and organisations where possible as they have supported us so generously.

​Welcome to the eighth of our newsletters. I hope they help keep all stakeholders in the Otago Country network up to date with the happenings within our organisation. I trust you all had a safe and enjoyable break over the Christmas and New Year period.
 
It certainly was a busy time with us hosting-the two Volts games-three Sparks games-Otago U17 v Pelichet Bay Invitational X1-Central Otago Wanderers v Ken McKnight X1 (Australia)-Otago Country SIBSBT Team v Invitation Team with all but the U17 game being played on Molyneux Park No1. Thanks so much to Andrew Douglas the groundsman for his outstanding work and co-operation in allowing the boys and the Wanderers the opportunity to play on the ‘hallowed turf’. Andrew also won praise for the standard of the pitches he produced for all the games.
 
The Primary Boys and Primary Girls have recently finished their tournaments in Dunedin and Christchurch respectively. The boys had a tough draw and acquitted themselves very well. The girls narrowly lost their 3 v 4 play-off game against the Canterbury Black side. Congratulations to Harriet Cuttance, Harriet Neilson and Lilly Paterson who were all named in the Tournament Team.
Well done to both groups of kids for the skills and commitment they showed. We look forward to following your progress in the future.
 
It was with sadness yesterday that I learnt of the passing of Noel Hamilton. Noel was a tireless worker for cricket in the Otago Country area while based in Clyde. He had a special interest in youth cricket and was an umpire who stood in many Hawke Cup and Crosby Morris fixtures during the 70’s and 80’s. After finishing his umpiring career Noel continued to have involvement through being secretary of the OCCUSA during the 1990’s. Noel was also a regular at Molyneux Park helping out for many of the big games and often was a sightscreen attendant. The thoughts of the OCCA go out to Marie and the extended Hamilton family. RIP Noel.   
 
Just on Christmas we received funding from the Bendigo Valley Sports and Charity Foundation funding agency. This grant was to help with Rep Team’s accommodation and is greatly appreciated. Thanks go out to them for this generous grant.
 
While our farming communities have welcomed the rain over the last few weeks it has had some effect on our cricket with the scheduled Crosby Morris game between Lakes and Maniototo being washed out again! Both teams agreed that there would be a coin toss to decide the next host and Sam Pringle called heads. Tails it was so Lakes will host South Otago as listed below. This will be followed by the Vincent challenge a fortnight later.
February 14th. Lakes v South Otago @ Queenstown Event Centre.
February 28th. Holders v Vincent
 
Early December saw our annual clash for the Stewart McKnight Trophy at the Oturehua Domain. It was noted that some members of the Dunedin side were astounded that such a ground existed in a little country village. Below is a brief history of how the artificial pitch at Oturehua was transformed into the excellent grass surface it is today. Al McKnight wrote this piece after many a discussion with Stewart himself. Both men still work on preparing the ground although the Oturehua Club is still in recess.
 
           A Brief History Of The Grass Wicket at Oturehua.
Stewart McKnight returned from an overseas tour with a New Zealand Districts team in 1964 having played in England, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Canada. Having played on many different types of pitches, he felt the grass wicket produced the best and most enjoyable cricket. He had an idea that a grass wicket in Oturehua would benefit many cricketers in Central Otago. He approached the club members for support and got underway.
Not all members were completely in favour. In particular, Bill Becker, who was a huge man and a fine sportsman and cricketer. Apparently he was not at all amused to find Stewart and Owen Becker filling in a very deep trench at “his” end of the existing concrete pitch. This trench having been made by his very long strides bowling each Saturday. It was probably not very easy for anybody else to bowl at that end. He was further upset when after the grass wicket was established and put to use they dared to uplift his beloved concrete pitch. To his credit, Bill did come to realise the benefits of the grass wicket and get in behind the idea. Stewart states that Bill was a real mentor for him as a young rugby player and cricketer and who set him on his own path as an administrator in many sports.
The old concrete pitch was in fact on the rugby field. At the end of the season it was covered up with turf or sod rolled in strips. At the beginning of the season it would be scraped off and taken away again. With a grass wicket block established, it wasn’t long before there was recognition that perhaps Maniototo A fixtures should be held there. Again, this would benefit those representing Central Otago at Hawke Cup level. At a sub association meeting this was proposed. One Patearoa cricketer delivered an expletiative-ridden sentence about the idea of playing Maniototo matches at Oturehua!  He was asked to withdraw the comment, as it was inappropriate! The proposal stood and the ground became a firm base for representative cricket.
 
Early pitches were prepared by a puddling method with water applied by hoses and rolling at the same time until a smooth muddy surface was achieved and then baked hard in the sun. Later it was realised that it was better to keep grass growing on the block. This meant rolling the wicket in a drier state and using the roller to bring moisture up from underneath. This is the method used today.
The original soil used came from the Becks area, however grass didn’t grow well on it. Kakanui Tar from North Otago has been used ever since. It produces a hard non-crumbly surface for play. The same soil is used throughout New Zealand, even Eden Park in Auckland. Stewart has provided advice to ground staff all over the South Island on pitch development and preparation.
 
The Oturehua Club went into recess in 2001-02. But such was the reputation of the pitch we were asked to somehow keep it going. Stewart, Barry Becker and Al McKnight in particular have managed to keep the ground in use. Local primary school children play their home games there and the new Maniototo men’s club also. They are the only club players left now and they compete in the Vincent /Lakes competition. This is sad when in the late 1990’s we had a six-team competition in the Maniototo.
 
We annually host a match between Otago Country and a Dunedin selection. At stake is the Stewart McKnight trophy. This is a fitting tribute to Stewart’s legacy in Otago cricket as a player, and administrator, to the highest levels in New Zealand cricket. Malcolm Jones, himself a long serving administrator and scorer drove this initiative to play this game annually. The Dunedin players in particular are often staggered to find a pitch of such quality before Christmas and in a little village called Oturehua. They also appreciate the hospitality that a rural village supplies as well. Our ladies lunches are legendary! Many fine cricketers have played here over the years.
 
Thanks to an idea from Stewart all those years ago, along with some helpers with a passion for cricket and some attention to detail, a beautiful cricket ground remains just that.
 
Alastair McKnight
2016.
 
Our Hawke Cup Elimination programme has also been affected by the wet start to 2016 with the game against South Canterbury rained off after a handful of overs. The selectors have chosen a reasonably ‘fresh looking’  side to play against Mid Canterbury this weekend in Alexandra. This game is a ‘dead rubber’ as North Otago has qualified to be the Zone 4 challenger for the Hawke Cup. The Maniototo trio of Sam Pringle, Willie Miller and Reuben Pyle join Blacks Hill’s Drew van Boxtel as debutants. Reuben is following father John and brother Jimmy as an Otago Country Hawke Cup player. Congratulations to them and best of luck to the team. The team for the game is;
Henry Burns
Sam Pringle
Tim McCormick
Barry White
Cam Fawkner
Mark Knox
Drew van Boxtel
Willie Miller
Reuben Pyle
Tom Myles
Sanchit Sandhu
 
A reminder that the Zone 4 Hawke Cup Elimination series this season is being ‘Live Scored’ and a link to the games is available on our website. If you can’t make it to the games keep up to date with how the lads are going on your computer/laptop/tablet/phone just as you do with the BLACKCAPS/Volts etc. If you require any help to get onto this link contact me. Our thanks to Peter Mayell at NZC for enabling us to Live Score this series.
 
Our two Cricket Development Officers, Willie Miller and Emma Campbell are both busy again in their roles. School visits are about to start for Term One. Just a reminder that Willie can be contacted on 0212790979 or email Willie @ otagocricket.co.nz and Emma can be reached on 0211242266 or email emma@coaching-solutions.co.nz If you have any questions please contact these two or myself.
Keep an eye on the Otago Country Cricket Association Facebook page for news updates. You will notice the latest FB posts go on the ‘home page’ of the website as well.
 
No sporting organisation can run without the help of sponsors and funding partners and the Otago Country Cricket Association would like to thank the following for their brilliant help for the 2015-16 season.
The Bendigo Valley Sports and Charity
The Lion Foundation
KiwiSport
Geosolve
NZ Community Trust
Pub Charity
Mark Wilson, Marketing and Fitness Consultant
Please support these people and organisations where possible as they have supported us.
 
I would also like to thank Alli Jones and her team at Promo-X in Dunedin for the outstanding job they have done with our rep teams uniforms this season. Nothing is a problem to these people (even two days before Christmas!!!). Check out their website if you need any team clothing and monogramming done.