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Otago Sparks

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Otago Sparks
Personnel
CaptainSuzie Bates
CoachCraig Cumming
Team information
ColoursOV
FoundedFirst recorded match: 1932
Home groundUniversity Oval, Dunedin
Secondary home ground(s)Whitestone Contracting Stadium, Oamaru
Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown
History
First-class debutWellington
in 1940
at Basin Reserve, Wellington
HBJS wins4
SS wins1
Official websiteOtago Cricket

The Otago Sparks is the women's cricket representative team for the New Zealand region of Otago and the surrounding area. They play their home games at University Oval, Dunedin. They compete in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield one-day competition and the Women's Super Smash Twenty20 competition.

History

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Otago made their first appearance in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in 1939–40, where they lost to Wellington.[1] The following period in the one-day competition was dominated by Auckland and Wellington, however, and Otago did not record a second-place finish until 1957–58.[2] They finished second again in 1960–61 before finally winning their first title in 1962–63, winning two matches and drawing one.[3][4] In 1967–68, Otago competed in the Australian Women's Cricket Championships, finishing fourth out of five.[5]

Otago did not play in major competition between 1983–84 and 1997–98. Some Otago players instead played for Southern Districts, which competed between 1983–84 and 1987–88.[6] They returned for the 1998–99 season, but finished bottom of the one-day competition points table.[7]

Otago won their second one-day competition in 2013–14, finishing second in the group stage before beating Auckland in the final, helped by 99 from captain Suzie Bates and winning by 3 wickets off the penultimate delivery.[8][9] They won their third one-day competition in 2021–22, finishing second in the group stage to qualify for the final, before beating group winners Wellington in the final by 138 runs.[10] They won their fourth one-day competition in 2023–24, this time topping the group stage and defeating Wellington in the final.[11]

Otago have also competed in the Twenty20 Super Smash since its inception in 2007–08, finishing second in 2014–15 before winning the title in 2016–17.[12][13] They finished second in the group stage in 2016–17, but beat group winners Canterbury in the final, with Suzie Bates scoring 74 and Kate Heffernan taking 4/21.[14] Otago bowler Leigh Kasperek was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 8 wickets.[15]

Grounds

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Otago played their first home Hallyburton Johnstone Shield match at University Oval, Dunedin, and the ground has remained the side's primary home ground throughout their history. They also used Logan Park and Carisbrook, also in Dunedin, until the early 2000s.[16][17]

From 2005, the side began using Molyneux Park, Alexandra and in 2007 Queens Park, Invercargill. In the 2017–18 season, they also began using Whitestone Contracting Stadium, Oamaru. In 2021–22, the side primarily used University Oval, as well as playing two games at Whitestone Contracting Stadium and three, for the first time, at Queenstown Events Centre. In 2022–23, the side used University Oval and Queenstown Events Centre for their home matches.[17][18]

Players

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Current squad

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Based on squad announced for the 2023–24 season. Players in bold have international caps.[19]

No. Name Nationality Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batters
7 Caitlin Blakely  New Zealand (1996-01-07) 7 January 1996 (age 28) Right-handed Right-arm medium
All-rounders
17 Hayley Jensen  New Zealand (1992-10-07) 7 October 1992 (age 32) Right-handed Right-arm medium
18 Paige Loggenberg  New Zealand (2003-10-15) 15 October 2003 (age 21) Right-handed Right-arm medium
23 Suzie Bates  New Zealand (1987-09-16) 16 September 1987 (age 37) Right-handed Right-arm medium Captain
33 Saffron Wilson  New Zealand (2001-12-05) 5 December 2001 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm medium
36 Gemma Adams  New Zealand (2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 22) Right-handed Right-arm medium
49 Felicity Leydon-Davis  New Zealand (1994-06-22) 22 June 1994 (age 30) Right-handed Right-arm medium Vice-captain
Wicket-keepers
11 Olivia Gain  New Zealand (2002-01-02) 2 January 2002 (age 22) Right-handed —
21 Bella James  New Zealand (1999-01-27) 27 January 1999 (age 25) Right-handed —
29 Polly Inglis  New Zealand (1996-05-31) 31 May 1996 (age 28) Right-handed —
Bowlers
5 Louisa Kotkamp  New Zealand (2005-09-16) 16 September 2005 (age 19) Right-handed Right-arm medium
10 Molly Loe  New Zealand (2003-06-25) 25 June 2003 (age 21) Right-handed Right-arm medium
14 Sophie Oldershaw  New Zealand (1998-05-20) 20 May 1998 (age 26) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
23 Chloe Deerness  New Zealand (2005-08-23) 23 August 2005 (age 19) Right-handed Right-arm off break
24 Eden Carson  New Zealand (2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm off break
30 Emma Black  New Zealand (2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm medium
46 Poppy-Jay Watkins  England (2004-01-24) 24 January 2004 (age 20) Right-handed Left-arm medium

Notable players

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Players who have played for Otago and played internationally are listed below, in order of first international appearance (given in brackets):[20]

Coaching staff

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Honours

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Milburn represented both the Netherlands and New Zealand in international cricket.

References

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  1. ^ "Hallyburton Johnstone Challenge Shield 1939–40". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 1957–58". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 1960–61". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 1962–63 Table". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1967/68". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  6. ^ Watkin, Evan (October 2015). "The History of Women's Domestic Cricket in New Zealand" (PDF). Cricket Wellington. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  7. ^ "State Insurance Cup 1998–99". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ^ "New Zealand Women's One-Day Competition 2013–14". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Auckland Women v Otago Women, 25 January 2014". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Final, Queenstown, Feb 27 2022, New Zealand Cricket Women's One Day Competition: Wellington Women v Otago Women". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2023–24". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  12. ^ "New Zealand Women's Twenty20 Competition 2014/15". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  13. ^ "New Zealand Women's Twenty20 Competition 2016/17". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Canterbury Women v Otago Women, 11 February 2017". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Bowling in New Zealand Women's Twenty20 Competition 2016/17 (Ordered by Wickets)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Women's First-Class Matches played by Otago Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Women's List A Matches played by Otago Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Women's Twenty20 Matches played by Otago Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Exciting prospects earn contracts for the SBS Bank Otago Sparks". Otago Cricket. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Otago Women Players". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Coach seeks to get most out of Sparks". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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