Murley is one of the stalwarts of the game and will begin his 19th season for the club when he lines up today in two games of twenty20.Murley, at 36, said he still enjoyed the game and that was what kept him going every year.
"On the odd occasion when you get a bad day in Dunedin . . . you do wonder why you bother. But generally I’m still enjoying it and look forward to the game," he said.
"Last year I thought that was going to be it for me. But the boys convinced me to come along again. The team this year is pretty balanced and we’ve only lost a couple of players from last year."
Murley has a partner but no children, which he said meant he had the time to commit to cricket.
"Yeah, it is a big commitment for a lot of guys, especially with so many other things on."
His love of the game just kept him turning up year after year.Murley came from Otago Boys’ High School First XI and was drafted straight into the North East Valley senior team for the 1999-2000 season.
Since then he has become a stalwart for the club, leading the senior team’s bowling attack for the past 18 years and will do so again.
He has played 292 matches for Valley and will bring up his 300th game this season.
Since the 2002-03 season he has bowled 3015 overs with his right-armers. He has had the odd injury but by and large has always played.
Of all those overs, 463 have been maidens and he has taken 608 wickets at a run rate of just over three runs an over. He averages about 17 for every wicket.His best bowling figures are eight for 27 and he has taken 25 five-wicket bags.
With the bat he has had 258 innings with 57 not outs, scoring 2782 runs with a best score of 77.
Murley, who works as a manager for Southlink Health Services, said the standard has been pretty consistent over the years he has played.
"It may have dropped slightly over the past few years but that is probably got to do with the less number of people playing the game right through the grades."
He had played with and against plenty of good players over the years and had battled with Green Island veterans Dion Lobb and Mark Joyce for his whole career.
His younger brother, Simon, played for Valley with him but has given the game away.
Otago Volts players had come and gone during his career as well as plenty of other players.
He had never scored a hundred and usually floated between eight and nine in the batting order.
"Never No 11," he quipped.
In his time, the club had never won the Bing Harris Trophy, the prize given to the side which produces the best results over all forms of cricket over the season.
"We won the Knock-out Cup about the second year I was here and got to go to Auckland so that was good. Then we won the Declaration Cup a couple of seasons ago."
Murley does not mind what form of cricket he plays, as for him it is all about bowling well.
"I haven’t changed that much over the years, really. I may have got a bit slower."
Squads for season
Taieri
Cam McAuslan (captain), Jarrod Casey, Ben Lockrose, Regan Flaws, Warren Barnes, Brad Frost, Jack Hunter, Elliot Love, Marcus Frost, Sam Butler, Jarryd Taig, Matt Robinson, Tim King, Jerrym Frost, Clint Hayward, Callum Egen, Riley Dixon, Sam Kirk, Jacob Beal-Harris, Hayden Walker, Quentin Gare, John Gordon, Corey Hart.
North East Valley
Will Kindley, Tom Griffin, Ruan Markram, Hunter Kindley, Adam Miles, Robbie Tallott, Adam Flegg, Jamie Murley, Florian Schmidt, Keegan Harrison, Ryan Adam, Sanchit Sandhu, Declan Su’a, Josiah Turner, Ruben Pyle, Anthony Wilkinson, Neil Broom, James Neesham, Derek De Boorder, Anaru Kitchen, Michael Rae, Jarrod Pike.
Kaikorai
Matt Hunter (captain), Liam Cotton, Josh Bates, Michael Rippon, Tim Burke, Rhys Bayly, Taine Bayly, Josh Finnie, Jordan Gain, Ben Donkers, Jeremy Smith, James Logie, Dillon Wijesinghe, Scott Hunter, Dom Madden, Ryan Whelan, James Hartshorn, George Inwood, Sam Peterson, Jeremy Smallridge, Morgan Duffy, Blake Doherty, Jacob Duffy, Ricki Allan, Michael Fraser
Green Island
Dion Lobb (captain), Ant Harris, Gregor Croudis, Mark Joyce, Geordie Scott, Brad Wilson, Hamish Rutherford, Christi Viljoen, Blake Buttar-Scurr, Blair Soper, Daniel Fleming, Jack Pryde, Joel Meade, Bradley Scott, Regan Cairns, Nathan Watt, Scott Simpson.
Carisbrook-Dunedin
Rhys Phillips (captain), Ryan Duffy, Nathan Smith, Anjas Bhogal, Camden Hawkins, Kane McKay, Hayden Day, Max Chu, Brad Horne, Sam Angus, Richard Sillars, Kurt Johnston, Pat Arnold, Steven Newey, James Brown, Ben Willemsen, Tom Rutherford, Harry Jones, Michael Higgins, Liam Ryan
Albion
Josh Cuttance (captain), Joe Austin-Smellie, Matthew Bacon, Richie Buchanan, Jack Coman, Mark Craig, Taylor Cumberland, Dan Duke, Tim Ford, Jamie Glenn, Jack Harper, Shawn Hicks, Jamie Hunt, Dexter Marsh, Felix Page, Scott Steel, Josh Tasman-Jones, Luke Tatley.
