Think the Shoaib Akhtar airplane, Brett Lee’s air guitar solo or the long-distance run Imran Tahir used to set off on after picking up a wicket.
But the Otago Cricket Association might have them all beaten.
The association will turn 150 this month and it has quite the list of events planned to mark the significant milestone.
The birthday celebrations start where it all began — at Wain’s Hotel in Dunedin.
Thirteen cricket enthusiasts gathered at the venue on July 17, 1876, with the purpose of forming the Otago Cricket Association in order to promote the game across the region.
And what better place to kick off the birthday bash?
The “founding dinner’’ is an exclusive suit-and-tie affair. The guest list is restricted to life members, honorary members, past and present presidents and chairmen and some of Otago cricket's most notable players.
It is a hot ticket.
The association is also planning 30 weeks of Otago cricket stories. They will start rolling those out in August.
They are releasing a special 150th anniversary brew and, later in the year, putting out a commemorative book that promises “a proper look back at the people, moments and matches that have defined our region's cricketing story’’.
Local cricket tragics will also be looking forward to the establishment of the Otago Cricket Hall of Fame.
The first intake will be named at the annual awards next year.
In a press release, the Otago Cricket Association said “so many extraordinary people — players and administrators alike — have left their mark on this great game in our region. This is our year to tell those stories, celebrate those legacies and set the course for the next generation’’.
