Otago's vital signs strong

If the Otago Cricket Association appeared in the Property Press, you would probably describe it as ''not a drive-by''.

Underneath that dull exterior are some good bones.

The association's marquee team has had some terribly disappointing results this season. The Volts finished last in both the twenty20 and one-day competitions and are on track to finish last in the Plunket Shield.

It has taken some of the sheen off what has otherwise been a brilliant summer for the association.

The Otago Sparks do not always get the recognition they deserve but their surprise appearance in the twenty20 final and marvellous effort to upstage Canterbury and secure the trophy was a wonderful result.

Seventeen-year-old left-armer Kate Heffernan delighted her team-mates with a four-wicket haul in the final.

The match tilted in Otago's favour when she bowled star batsman Amy Satterthwaite with a cracking delivery that swung in and crashed into middle and off.

Earlier, talisman Suzie Bates had helped set up the five-run win with an aggressive innings of 74 from 52 deliveries. The White Ferns captain has been a major contributor for the team over the years but this season it was nice to see others come through.

All-rounder Victoria Holden played some valuable knocks in both the one-day and twenty20 campaigns.

Millie Cowan scored a memorable one-day century and bowled particularly well in that tournament.

And Katey Martin and Leigh Kasperek were dominant as always. Martin co-captained the team in the final and had a very strong campaign with the bat in the one-day competition. She was the leading scorer with 436 runs at an average of 54.5, while Kasperek took 14 wickets at 17.85.

The Sparks finished fourth in the one-day competition but were certainly competitive and still in the running for the playoffs going into the last weekend.

Heffernan emerged as the heroine in the final and that probably should not have came as any great surprise. She was instrumental in helping St Hilda's Collegiate win the national secondary school title, which was another great result for the region.

Her twin sister, Georgia, is a talented player on the rise as well, and it might not be too long before they are opening the bowling for Otago - that is, if netball can keep its hands off the duo. They both show enormous potential in the winter code and Kate was named in the New Zealand secondary schools squad recently.

The other major success for Otago came when it upset Auckland in the final of the national under-19 tournament.

Promising all-rounder Hunter Kindley helped set up the victory with a fine knock of 44. He was the leading scorer at the tournament with 306 runs at an average of 51. Seamer Ryan Whelan (12 at 19.66) and spinner Ben Lockrose (11 at 18.09) were also influential.

The trio were joined by Max Chu and Llew Johnson in being named in the New Zealand under-18 side at the conclusion of the tournament.

There is the making of a great future Otago team right there if the young men can stick with it.

Otago Cricket Association performance and talent identification coach Mark Bracewell has played a role in the success of the Sparks and the under-19 team. He has quietly worked in the background to help bring out the best in the players.

He joined the association in 2007 after teaching at Kavanagh College for 11 years. He could coach at a higher level but enjoys preparing players for first-class cricket. It is a role that does not always bring a lot of accolades but is enormously valuable all the same.

And as for the Volts? They can turn it around. The team has not trained harder at any time during the past 12 years and that hard work will eventually pay off.

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