It has been 146 years since an Otago first-class team first took the field and we thought it was about time to recognise and celebrate the heroes of summer.
Most of the 569 first-class players who have represented the province since January 1864 did so long before the travelling circus of twenty/20 cricket with its millionaires, scoop shots and mercenaries.
They toiled away summer after summer, playing for pride and for the love of the game.
And there have been some fabulous players who have lit up Carisbrook and the various venues around the district and country with sparkling stroke play, hostile and intelligent bowling spells and acts of genius in the field.
With so many cricket enthusiasts debating the merit of this player and that player, it just seemed the right time to have the discussion.
So, with the backing of the Otago Cricket Association, the Otago Daily Times set out to name Otago's Best XI.
Our experienced selection panel was asked to pick a team based on players' contribution to Otago in first-class cricket.
Some players were an obvious choice, while others will surprise and, perhaps, even confound a few readers.
But it is interesting to note 11 of the 12 have captained Otago.
One thing we can all agree on is it was an impossible task.
Picking a team like this is far from an exact science and, in the end, this is just a paper team which, unfortunately, will never take the field.
But it was a fantastic way to celebrate Otago cricket and it created a lot discussion and debate - debate that is sure to continue long after our readers have put down today's newspaper.
GLENN TURNER
Turner's record demanded inclusion and the selectors were unanimous in naming him in the Best XI.
There was no thought given to shifting Turner down the order to fit in some of the other outstanding candidates.
He was an out-and-out opener and all 16 selectors picked him at the top of the order.
On the field he made the most of his natural ability and a superb technique to carve an impressive career.
Off it, Turner is an innovative thinker and one of the best cricketing brains in the country whose contribution to Otago and New Zealand cricket has been immense.
BERT SUTCLIFFE
The great left-hander was never at risk of missing selection and was a unanimous choice for our panel.
The only debate was over where the darling of Otago cricket would bat in the Best XI order.
As the side's premier batsman, some opted to provide him protection from the new ball.
But Sutcliffe was so successful at the top, shifting him seemed unnecessary.
Combining with Glenn Turner, as he would in this team, gives the side the advantage of a left hand-right hand opening combination, and two world-class batsmen, at that.
CRAIG CUMMING
Cumming is the only current player selected in the Best XI.
He has been a prolific scorer for Otago at the top of the order in the past two seasons, scoring eight centuries.
But with Sutcliffe and Turner given the job of opening, Cumming has to drop down the order.
Most had Cumming at first drop but some of our selectors opted to bat him further down at No 5 or No 6.
Majority rules, and his experience opening would serve him well at No 3.
KEN RUTHERFORD
"Rutherford, Rutherford" - it was an annoying chant which echoed around Carisbrook every time the right-hander was set at the crease.
Let's face it, it would not be a Best XI without Rutherford.
He was pretty much an automatic selection with just one judge leaving him out of his side.
He takes a spot in the middle order - no more experimentation at the top.
His disastrous experience opening for New Zealand put pay to that idea.
Far better suited to the middle order.
ROGER BLUNT
Blunt was the last of the specialist batsmen selected for our side, with nine of the 16 experts opting to include the right-hander.
He kept the likes of Bruce Blair, Neil Broom and Mark Richardson out of the team.
Of all our selectors, Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes' team was the closest to the final side.
He picked 11 of the 12, including Blunt, and in his opinion, Blunt's record was "compelling".
"His average is comparable with the best batsmen but he scored his runs at a time when bowlers were more dominant than they are today," Dykes said.
"That average, in those days, to me, stood out like a beacon, really."
JOHN REID
Reid was the most gifted all-rounder to have played for the province but he was possibly lucky to make the Best XI.
He scraped in with six votes and was the last selected in the playing XI.
Had he played more matches for Otago, he would have been among the first selected.
But Reid scored more runs and took more wickets against Otago than he did for the province, and that must have weighed heavy on our selectors' minds.
Reid's inclusion certainly strengthens the final line-up and, with two spinners named in the Best XI, Reid would be called on to bowl seam-up, rather than the offbreaks he was fond of bowling.
WARREN LEES (captain)Lees was one of those players just about everybody picked in their team and he is the obvious choice as captain.
He was a talented wicketkeeper, an aggressive batsman and an inspirational leader.
During his tenure (81 games as captain) Otago won the first-class competition in 1976-77, 1978-79, 1985-86 and 1987-88.
Otago also won two one-day titles during that period.
A faithful servant, Lees made a record 108 appearances and combined with spinner Stephen Boock to make "countless" dismissals.
"Warren was an outstanding leader," Boock said.
"Even at school he stood out as a leader."
"As a spinner, you had to have absolute confidence in your wicketkeeper. And Warren gave you that confidence. You knew you could bring everything out of the wardrobe and Warren would be there to playing a supporting act, whether stopping a bad delivery or making a catch."
NEIL MALLENDER
For a decade, the pale figure of Neil Mallender spearheaded the Otago attack and haunted the country's batting line-ups with some hostile spells.
The selectors were almost unanimous in including him in the Best XI.
Former Otago Daily Times cricket writer Brent Edwards saw more of Mallender than most and rates him highly.
"He fitted seamlessly into the Otago environment," Edwards wrote.
"He took 10 wickets in his two tests for England but much of his best cricket was played for Otago.
He relished the shorter New Zealand seasons and bowled with sustained hostility.
"In one memorable match at Carisbrook, Auckland had to call on 15 players after three batsmen were packed off to Dunedin Hospital for X-rays after they had been struck by Mallender."
ALEX MOIR
Moir proved to be the hardest player to guess for the public.
Very few entries correctly named the legspinner in the Best XI.
Most opted for Boock as their first-choice spinner and for a third seamer.
Moir might have got more votes but the slow bowling vote was keenly contested with the likes of Alexander Downes and brothers Jack and Gren Alabaster also drawing support from our selectors.
"Both Alex and Jack Alabaster had fantastic careers," Ross Dykes said.
"But Moir looked to me to have the better strike rate and was the more aggressive bowler.
You have to take 20 wickets in a game and, for me, he was the better option."
FRANK CAMERON
Cameron spearheads the Best XI attack with Mallender.
An intelligent medium-pacer, Cameron's accuracy and ability to swing the ball both ways made him a favourite with our selectors.
Veteran Otago Daily Times sports writer Alistair McMurran played club cricket against Cameron and said he was a patient and consistent performer for Otago and New Zealand.
"He could bowl on the spot and had a dangerous offcutter," McMurran said.
"He got a lot of wickets with that delivery. He could also swing the ball both ways when conditions were right.
"He was a hard worker and very fit. He did a lot running and aerobically he was able to bowl all day. But it was his accuracy which was really the key."
STEPHEN BOOCK
With so many good spinners having represented the province, it is testimony to Boock's skills and record that most of our selectors did not hesitate to include him in the Best XI.
"Boock was a spinner for all seasons," Brent Edwards wrote.
"He was a master of flight and accurate on flat pitches and spun the ball sharply in helpful conditions.
"He once took eight wickets in an innings against Auckland, got up early to mow his lawns the next morning and returned to Carisbrook and took another seven to finish with 15 for the match."
He was "uncompromising on the field and his booming laugh was a feature of the dressing room", Edwards said, adding "he contributed hugely to the tightly-knit Otago teams of his era".
GREN ALABASTER
(12th man)Gren Alabaster carries the drinks for the Best XI, somewhat unluckily, perhaps.
With so many good slow bowlers competing for places, Alabaster was unable to command a spot in the bowling attack, and the thunderous skills of John Reid squeezed him out of the all-rounder's spot.
Alabaster is the only player to take 200 wickets and score 2000 runs for the province.
Not a bad bloke to have waiting on the sidelines.
