Otago cricket team

The Otago cricket team, are a New Zealand first-class cricket team which first played representative cricket in 1864.^[1] 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.^[2]

CaptainLuke Georgeson

CoachJosh Tasman-Jones

Founded1864

Home groundUniversity Oval

Quick facts Personnel, Captain ...

Otago
Personnel

Captain	Luke Georgeson
Coach	Josh Tasman-Jones
Team information
Founded	1864
Home ground	University Oval
Capacity	3,500
History
First-class debut	Canterbury in 1864 at Dunedin
Plunket Shield wins	13
The Ford Trophy wins	2
Men's Super Smash wins	2
Official website	www.otagocricket.co.nz

Close

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 has used the nickname Otago Volts since the 1997–98 season, and in 2025–26 used the name Volts in the Super Smash.^[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.^[1]^[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.^[1]^[2]^[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 teams, although in the past has also played against touring teams.

The team's head-coach for the 2024–25 season, Ashley Noffke,^[6] 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,^[7]^[8] before Josh Tasman-Jones was named as the team's coach in August.^[9] 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

Men's Super Smash (2)

2008–09, 2012–13

First-class records

As of 28 October 2022^[10]

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.^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]

As of 13 July 2025

More information No., Name ...

No.	Name	Nationality	Birth date	Batting style	Bowling style	Notes
34	Matt Bacon	New Zealand	(1993-04-13) 13 April 1993 (age 33)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast
33	Jack Boyle	New Zealand	(1996-03-24) 24 March 1996 (age 30)	Right-handed	Right-arm offbreak
12	Max Chu	New Zealand	(2000-03-21) 21 March 2000 (age 26)	Right-handed	Left-arm fast
	Mason Clarke	New Zealand	(2007-02-20) 20 February 2007 (age 19)	Left-handed
6	Jacob Cumming	New Zealand	(2003-12-14) 14 December 2003 (age 22)	Left-handed	Right-arm medium
3	Zac Cumming	New Zealand	(2005-07-04) 4 July 2005 (age 20)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg-break
32	Jacob Duffy	New Zealand	(1994-08-02) 2 August 1994 (age 31)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	New Zealand central contract
94	Danru Ferns	South Africa	(1994-02-23) 23 February 1994 (age 32)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium
26	Luke Georgeson	New Zealand	(1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 27)	Left-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	Captain. Holds dual Irish/New Zealand citizenship
7	Jake Gibson	New Zealand	(1997-08-07) 7 August 1997 (age 28)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium
31	Andrew Hazeldine	England	(1994-07-13) 13 July 1994 (age 31)	Left-handed	Left-arm fast	Holds dual British/New Zealand citizenship
2	Troy Johnson	New Zealand	(1997-10-01) 1 October 1997 (age 28)	Right-handed	Right-arm offbreak
36	Llew Johnson	New Zealand	(2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 26)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg-break
17	Ben Lockrose	New Zealand	(2000-03-24) 24 March 2000 (age 26)	Right-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox
27	Jarrod McKay	New Zealand	(2000-06-08) 8 June 2000 (age 25)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast
86	Thorn Parkes	New Zealand	(2000-08-10) 10 August 2000 (age 25)	Left-handed	Right-arm leg break
23	Glenn Phillips	New Zealand	(1996-12-06) 6 December 1996 (age 29)	Right-handed	Right-arm off-break	New Zealand central contract^[15]
73	Jamal Todd	New Zealand	(2004-03-27) 27 March 2004 (age 22)	Left-handed	Right-arm off-break

Close

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.