***Official*** New Zealand Domestic Season 2014/15

[RxGM]

Doesn't necessarily say this, does it? Could be the same person. An ex, who knows.

.

Yea it does actually

The alleged offending involves two victims and took place in March and May this year.

 

[Howsie]

"Involves two victims"

 

[straw man]

Things I did not expect to read when I opened this thread

Urr yeah. IIt does not look good.

 

[SteveNZ]

"Involves two victims"

Apologies.

Not good.

 

[hendrix]

innocent until proven guilty. yikes though.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Mum comes out to defend Kugglejuggle: Top Waikato cricket player 'set up' on rape charges - mum | Stuff.co.nz

Classy. Let's play these accusations out through the media.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

I actually didn't know his dad caught that record wicket.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Yeah, I always though Chris Kugglejuggle was most famous for having the middle name 'Mary'.

 

[Zinzan]

So Jesse is returning to CD

Jesse Ryder signs with Central Districts | Stuff.co.nz

CD will have a handy T20 side. Shame Jesse isn't playing FC cricket though.

 

[Zinzan]

On the Kuggeleijn allegations, really not interested until the lad has his day in court.

 

[Smudge]

Mum comes out to defend Kugglejuggle: Top Waikato cricket player 'set up' on rape charges - mum | Stuff.co.nz

Classy. Let's play these accusations out through the media.

Could be argued that half that article is treading a very fine line with the courts, most notably his mum's comments.

By the by:

The family of a man accused of rape, who some might describe as New Zealand sporting royalty,

Only if "some" were mentally unhinged.

 

[Kippax]

.

Wellington contracted players for 2015/16: Brent Arnel, BJ Barnett, Tom Blundell, Alecz Day, Dane Hutchinson, Matt McEwan, Stephen Murdoch, Ollie Newton, Michael Papps, Jeetan Patel, Michael Pollard, Matt Taylor, Anurag Verma, Luke Woodcock.

MARK GILLESPIE was the notable omission from Wellington’s initial 14-man contract list for the upcoming domestic cricket season.

The 35-year-old former Black Cap has been the spearhead of Wellington’s attack for 15 years and his 344 first-class wickets for the province are second only to Ewen Chatfield’s 403.

Gillespie has, effectively, been replaced on the contracted-players’ list by injury-prone Northern Districts recruit Anurag Verma and Upper Hutt’s Ollie Newton, who’s trending towards being a batsman who bowls rather than an out-and-out wicket-taker.

New Wellington coach Bruce Edgar suggested Gillespie was not the bowler of old.

‘‘We believe that Dizzy was off the pace last season and that he’s slipped down the order behind other more effective bowlers,’’ Edgar said in a statement.

‘‘That said, we want to work with Dizz to get him firing in time for the season. If that happens, then he’s available to be selected like any other player.’’

Gillespie chose his response carefully last night: ‘‘I’ve made no decisions regarding my future. As far as I’m concerned, not getting a contract does not mean I am no longer a cricketer.’’

Provinces are able to contract 15 players with Wellington’s last player to be announced on August 10. That could yet be Gillespie, who remained the mainstay of Wellington’s four-day attack during the first half of last summer.

The timing of the Twenty20 competition, in which he didn’t participate, meant just three first-class games were played pre-Christmas, in which Gillespie took 11 wickets at 27.63.

Wellington have fielded a seasoned side for some time and probably needed an injection of youth. But there have not been young players worthy of taking the older ones’ places.

They’ll have to now, with Gillespie no longer certain of a spot in their four-day side, Andy McKay retiring and James Franklin captaining English county Middlesex these days.

The presence of Jeetan Patel, Brent Arnel, Michael Papps, Luke Woodcock and Stephen Murdoch means there’s still a sprinkling of old stagers to go with established types such as Michael Pollard and Tom Blundell.

Beyond Verma and Newton, Australian Alecz Day, Matt Taylor, Matt McEwan and BJ Barnett are new to Wellington’s contract list. Gillespie, McKay, Franklin, Ili Tugaga, Henry Walsh and Grant Elliott have dropped off, with Elliott and Luke Ronchi among New Zealand Cricket’s 20 contracted players.

 

[Kippax]

Don't let Nick Kelly slip through your fingers this year Wellington

Northland fast bowler Cody Andrews new face with the Northern Knights | Stuff.co.nz

Kelly's bowling doesn't really look up to much to me tbh, which is a shame if Santner is going to be increasingly absent with international duty.

Kelly shouldn't really feel Popli or Hickey's batting talent is so far beyond his reach that he needs to pursue his career elsewhere though.

 

[Prince EWS]

Kelly's bowling doesn't really look up to much to me tbh

Marcus North in front of a mirror.

 

[Kippax]

.

Coach Gary Stead is convinced Canterbury’s promising young batsmen can fill the void left by former Black Cap Neil Broom.

The six major associations will announce their first round of contracts on Wednesday and there will be one new face on Canterbury’s list.

Canterbury have named 14 players, with one remaining spot to be filled in the next round.

Left-hand batsman Leo Carter, who made his first class debut last summer, has been rewarded after impressing in the Plunket Shield.

Carter, 20, scored 81 in his first four-day appearance against Northern Districts at Hagley Oval, then hit 73 in the next match against Central Districts in Nelson. He scored 215 Plunket Shield runs in six innings at 35.83.

Broom and all-rounder Brendon Diamanti, who is not returning, are the two players missing from last year’s squad.

Carter, who played for New Zealand under-19 last year, also featured in the one-day competition, but only scored 25 in two turns at bat.

With the experienced Broom returning to Otago after one season back with Canterbury the red-and-black top order will need to fire consistently.

Stead said it was a major blow to lose Broom, but was confident they would cope.

‘‘The year before we lost four or five guys and people thought they were irreplaceable, but they proved not to be.

‘‘What it will mean is an opportunity for someone else. I’m sure whoever that is will be grateful for the opportunity and be desperately determined to do well.’’

Carter, who is spending the offseason playing in England, was one of the most talented young batsmen in the Canterbury region and deserved his chance, Stead said.

‘‘We’re committed to players who have come through our programme. Leo is one of those. Our other options were to potentially look outside [Canterbury], but I’m not sure in the long-term that does much good.’’
Carter was being viewed as an opener, but depending on the format, could drop down the order.

‘‘He’s good enough to bat anywhere in the top six. I hope he wants to continue to open, because I think that’s the toughest place to bat and where we want to try and find people in the long-term as well.’’
Stead indicated Henry Nicholls, who had a breakout summer with the bat, would possibly move from his regular No 5 position up to four in the Plunket Shield.

Canterbury plan to use their last contract spot on a batsman. They could look outside the region if someone ‘‘came knocking on our door’’, but Stead said the preference was to go with a local player.
Options might include lefthanded opener Greg Dawson, who is a four-day specialist, or New Zealand under-19 batsman Ken McClure.

‘‘I don’t think you’re going to get someone with experience because they’ll be snapped up straight away,’’ Stead said.

Another possibility might be young all-rounder Henry Walsh, who formerly played for Wellington. Walsh fell out of favour in the capital and is studying in Christchurch and training with the Canterbury players.
Stead was rapt to retain all their bowlers from last season.

Matt Henry is not expected to feature much at first class level for Canterbury given his strong recent performances with the ball for New Zealand.

Kyle Jamieson and Logan van Beek are both progressing from season-ending injuries last summer and Stead will be hoping leftarm quick Ed Nuttall picks up from where he left off. Nuttall achieved career-best figures of 6-35 as Canterbury skittled ND for 101 in the second innings of their final round Plunket Shield match to defend the title.

‘‘I think there’s no secret the reason we have won the Plunket Shield two years in a row now is because we have bowlers that have shown they can take 20 wickets.’’

 

[Hurricane]

My memory is going fuzzy. Ollie Newton may be our Upper Hutt fast bowler. I will post more about him after I google him to confirm. He hadn't played for us for two years. He was kicking ass in Pearce cup two years ago.

 

[Hurricane]

Yeah it's him.
Genuinely nice guy. Played for Otago a some years ago.
People in my club claim him to be around 135kms.
I have lost confidence in my own ability to estimate pace after the Ricky Joseph incident.
However, I will say he is the quickest I have faced. It didn't help matters that he over steps by a metre in the nets. The end result was I couldn't lay bat on ball.
He could have chosen to bowl short to me but he pitched it up.
His batting is good enough to come in around number 8 in Pearce cup. That means he is decent and would often be our last man out.
His other claim to fame is taking a one handed catch while wearing a suit instead of a tui shirt at a t20 game on TV
It will probably help both him and Matt Taylor that both are in the squad.
If this is Edgar's doing then he has begun on the right note.

 

[Kippax]

Yeah Newton's the guy who missed out on $100,000 last year because he was wearing a suit, isn't he.

 

[Kippax]

Yeah Newton's the guy who missed out on $100,000 last year because he was wearing a suit, isn't he.

That's probably kind of appropriate, as Edgar looks to steer Wellington away from Tui yobbo culture, more towards presentable young men like Verma, with their tertiary degrees and great attitudes, if perhaps not the physical gifts.

 

[RxGM]

On Mark Gillespie:
It frustrates me that guys that have given 10+ years to there province and team are just cast asunder mid-season.
This happened last year to Matty Sinclair and Bruce Martin, surely the organisations can sort there **** out and shoulder tap the guy so that he can have a farewell game. Give the province a bit of a boost. I know Gillespie was injured at the back half of the season but given the financial sacrifices these cricketers make to play FC cricket there has to be a more professional way to cut them free, so they can make plans for the rest of their life.