Southlander Nick Brown’s selection in the wider squad for the New Zealand under-19 cricket team has been bittersweet.
The Academy Southland athlete was named last week as the back up wicketkeeper for the ICC under-19 2024 men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa in January and February, one of six non-travelling reserves.
Brown will continue to train as if he had been selected for the travelling team, which departs on January 11.
Cricket has not been without its challenges in recent times, with Southland suffering a slow start to its campaign for a Hawke Cup challenge and his Otago under-19 team suffering a somewhat controversial end to their national tournament in Lincoln.
Otago were knocking on the door for a place in the final, but fell just short after being given some inaccurate information by tournament officials about what they needed to do to qualify.
They then struggled to motivate themselves in the play-off for third place, losing to Canterbury.
"That was probably something we struggled with, trying to get up and get motivated to play to our full potential that last day, which was a bit disappointing," he said.
Brown was happy enough with his performances in Lincoln, where he kept wicket and opened the batting.
"I got a few [runs], I would have liked to get a few more and I was disappointed not to kick on after a few starts."
Next year is a transition for the former Southland Boys’ High School pupil, who will be studying law and commerce at the University of Otago.
He will continue to play for his Carisbrook Dunedin Kaikorai team, which includes several players involved in the Otago under-19 programme.
Being based in Dunedin will mean an end to the long Mondays Brown had become accustomed to, including return trips for Emerging Volts and Otago under-19 trainings.
Brown was appreciative of his parents, who would often share the driving.
"I’m pretty lucky I’ve had that support from my parents."
