CD teams named for season opener

Margot Butcher

A co-captain of the Central Hinds T20 side for the past two years, Jess Watkin has today been named captain for the Hinds’ 2021/22 Dream11 Super Smash campaign that begins today. 

One of the country’s top spinning allrounders and one of the hardest hitters in the female game worldwide, Watkin leads from the front with both bat and ball, and will head up the T20 squad.

Wicketkeeper-batter Natalie Dodd leads the one-day campaign and has been named vice-captain for the T20 summer.

Said 23-year-old Watkin, “It’s exciting to be heading into our first Super Smash game tomorrow and as a captain I’m fortunate to have the experience of Doddy and Rowey [Hannah Rowe] around me as well.

“Rowey has been awesome support as a co-captain with me over the past two years and now it’s a chance for her to really drill down on her own game for the team — fresh off a half century in our HBJ wins which was really exciting to see.”

The Central Hinds and Central Stags begin their Super Smash summer in Dunedin tomorrow with their three doubleheaders all on the road.

After their respective 10.10am and 1.40pm opening games against the Otago Sparks and Volts, the Central teams will be in action in Wellington and Christchurch before heading to Napier for their first home doubleheader — a free entry afternoon (pre-registration required) at McLean Park on 18 December, also against the Sparks and Volts.

The Hinds remain without the services of WHITE FERNS pace bowler Rosemary Mair who is on a managed return from a stress reaction in her shin bones during the off season, and Watkin’s first squad is also missing injured Wairarapa pace bowler Monique Rees.

But the 12 named for Dunedin boasts plenty of firepower, including WHITE FERNS allrounder Rowe, with Watkin and Dodd also having represented their country and Nelson’s bustling Claudia Green on the fringe of national selection and keen to push her case further in the upcoming action.

Wairarapa youngster Ocean Bartlett — an exciting all-round talent fresh from finishing high school at Masterton’s St Matthew’s Collegiate — is in line to make just her second appearance for the team after having debuted at the same ground, University of Otago Oval, in January 2021 without having been required to bat or bowl.

Bartlett, 18, is an NZC New Zealand Māori Secondary Schools captain.

Regular T20 finalists the Central Stags have meanwhile named a strong squad with Tom Bruce again at the helm.

He will have plenty of bowling firepower at his disposal with last season’s top Dream11 Super Smash wicket-taker (all teams) Blair Tickner, potent allrounder Doug Bracewell, Ben Wheeler and Seth Rance all, like Bruce himself, having played T20is for their country.

Rance’s return to full fitness in one of his favourite formats is particularly exciting for the squad with the king of in-swing set to make his first appearance in the Dream11 Super Smash since January 2020 - which was also at University of Otago Oval. 

“It’s very cool to be back,” says Rance. 

“Missing all of last year was certainly hard, watching from the sidelines. 

“I did a lot of hard work to get back on the park after ankle and calf problems, but it’s made me more determined to get back and to put up good performances. 

“I’m itching at the bit to get out there and do well for the Stags, and to swing the ball which is what I’m primarily there to do. Dream11 Super Smash is always fun and exciting, and really awesome to be a part of.”

Rance heads into the season with 77 victims for the Stags in T20s, with Tickner (79) the only man to have taken more T20 wickets for the team.

BLACKCAPS Ross Taylor, Will Young and Ajaz Patel are all away in action in the India Test series while fast bowler Adam Milne is now back in New Zealand and undergoing obligatory Managed Isolation Quarantine before returning to add even more potency to the Stags squad.

CENTRAL HINDS

Jess Watkin – captain

Natalie Dodd — vice-captain, wicketkeeper

Georgia Atkinson

Ocean Bartlett

Emily Cunningham

Hannah Rowe

Kate Gaging

Claudia Green

Mikaela Greig

Melissa Hansen

Ashtuti Kumar

Kerry Tomlinson

Unavailable Contracted Players

Rosemary Mair – injury

Monique Rees – injury

CENTRAL STAGS

Tom Bruce – captain

Doug Bracewell  

Dane Cleaver — wicketkeeper

Joey Field

Jayden Lennox

Christian Leopard

Greg Hay

Seth Rance

Ben Smith

Blair Tickner

Bayley Wiggins

Ben Wheeler

Unavailable Contracted Players

Ajaz Patel —  in India

Ross Taylor – in India

Will Young – in India

Adam Milne – Managed Isolation Quarantine

Josh Clarkson – Injury

Website, schedule, livescores:  cdcricket.co.nz