Buffering Perils
Blackcaps ODI gold, Pia Vlok & Wellington Phoenix Women, domestic cricket, National League footy, Christchurch x NRL, Flying Kiwis, and more
Scotty’s Word
Blackcaps are 17-3 in ODIs this year. The three losses were against Sri Lanka in Auckland early in the year and then two losses vs India in Dubai during the Champions Trophy - when India didn’t have to do any travel.
The Champions Trophy campaign was notable because it was the first major ODI tournament Blackcaps have played without Trent Boult and Tim Southee for a long time and they made the final to continue their excellent record in ODI tournaments.
Since then, Blackcaps have won nine ODIs in a row vs Pakistan, England and West Indies. All nine have been played in Aotearoa but that is balanced by defeating Pakistan three times in Pakistan, along with two wins vs South Africa and a win vs Bangladesh in Pakistan.
Blackcaps then had three wins vs Pakistan in Aotearoa with a second tier squad and that featured 50+ scores from Muhammad Abbas and Rhys Mariu. Along with Nick Kelly, these three haven’t played again while seamers Will O’Rourke and Ben Sears haven’t played an ODI since that series in early April.
24 different players have been used in ODIs this year for Aotearoa so it’s impressive to sustain such a dominant ODI record with a wide variety of players. Most notably there are contributions from players at all levels and while the Daryl Mitchell/Matt Henry combo are the best ODI Blackcaps (and in the world) this year, there are others churning out excellent stats as well.
10 batters have scored 200+ runs and six are averaging 40+ which doesn’t not include Mitchell Santner’s 26.2avg/115sr. In 20 games there have been 12 different batters who have a 50+ score and seven have hit a century.
10 bowlers have taken 9+ wickets and five are averaging below 25, while seven are averaging below 30. Michael Bracewell (31.8) and Kyle Jamieson (30) are right there in the mix, while the freakiest talent of them all in Will O’Rourke is averaging 40.
Bowlers averaging less than 30 in ODIs this year: Henry, Santner, Duffy, Smith, Sears, Foulkes, Tickner.
Most ODI wickets in 2025
Matt Henry: 31w @ 18.5avg
Adil Rashid: 30w @ 23.6avg
Bernard Scholtz: 30w @ 10.3avg
Jayden Seales: 27w @ 18.1avg
Mitchell Santner: 25w @ 26.8avg
Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips are averaging 70-ish with strike-rates over 100 in ODIs this year. Chapman is on 73.6avg/107sr with the following ODI scores this year: 29*, 62, 81, 132, 0, 64.
Glenn Phillips is on 70.6avg/106sr (67.3avg/6.5rpo with the ball) this year and he returned to action for Otago in the Plunket Shield for their win vs Wellington. Phillips battled for 6 runs @ 33sr and then took wickets in both innings before finishing with 28* @ 140sr.
Phillips in Plunket Shield: 34 runs @ 34avg/89sr | 5w @ 21.4avg/2.8rpo
Kyle Jamieson is also in a groove of playing cricket. Jamieson was the leading wicket-taker in the ODIs vs West Indies (7w @ 20avg/5.3rpo) and he has now played seven ODIs this year which is the most of his five years in ODI cricket. Jamieson has also played 10 T20Is which is also a career-high in four years of T20I bowling. Playing more games has seen Jamieson take more wickets...
ODI: 10w @ 30avg/5.4rpo - most wickets
T20I: 11w @ 29.6avg/89rpo - most wickets
Number of ODIs | T20Is played by Jamieson...
2020: 2 | 4
2021: 3 | 4
2022: 3 | 0
2023: 5 | 5
2025: 7 | 10
I have plenty more Blackcaps and Plunket Shield stats beyond the paywall as well as two deep cuts and the emerging wicket-keepers in HBJ Shield.
One thing to sum up the opening round of Plunket Shield is splitting the batters who scored 50+ runs in first round by mature/emerging...
Mature
Nick Kelly, Bharat Popli, Jack Boyle, Chad Bowes, Henry Cooper.
Emerging
Matt Boyle (22yrs), Jacob Cumming (21yrs), Lachlan Stackpole (20yrs), Jesse Tashkoff (25yrs), Aryan Mann (19yrs), Tom Jones (19yrs), Bevon Jacobs (23yrs), Tim Robinson (23yrs), Gareth Severin (25yrs), Mitch Hay (25yrs), Taylor Bettelheim (24yrs).
My favourite HBJ Shield nugget...
Kate Anderson has a century in three of her last four HBJ Shield seasons. She scored two centuries for Northern Districts before moving to Canterbury where she is now on the most List-A centuries for Canterbury list...
Frances Mackay: 13
Amy Satterthwaite: 8
Kate Ebrahim & Debbie Hockley: 5
Kate Anderson: 3
Below is a list of Kiwi-NRL juniors from Christchurch who are working towards NRL footy. This doesn’t include Jamayne Isaako (Aranui), Jordan Riki (Hornby) and Tanner Stowers-Smith (Halswell) who have already debuted.
Greymouth’s Griffin Neame (Suburbs) isn’t in this list either despite playing footy in Christchurch, while another Greymouth product and 2025 Australian Schoolboys rep Antonio Verhoeven (Cobden Kohinoor) isn’t on the list either despite playing footy in Christchurch.
This list sparked up a check in with which players from the 2022 Junior Crusaders squad are now in NRL systems and I have that, as well as a spotlight on New Plymouth’s Jake White who snuck into the Australian Schoolboys rugby league team this year.
Jason Salalilo: Warriors | 22 games NSWC (Papanui)
Makaia Tafua: Warriors | 17/16 games NSWC (Linwood)
Felix Fa’atili: Sharks | 1/5 games NSWC (Hornby)
Ezekiel Paulo: Sea Eagles | 9 U21 / 2 NSWC (Celebration)
K-Ci Newton-Whare: Storm | 17/22/18 games U21s (Riccarton)
Josiah-Ekkehard Neli: Storm | 1/5/13 games U21s (Hornby)
Oliver Lawry: Sea Eagles | 18/16 games U21s (Halswell)
Te Kaio Cranwell: Knights | 8/22 games U21s (Linwood)
Sosaia Alatini: Bulldogs | 2/12 games U21s (Hornby)
Bronson Reuben: Bulldogs | 1/16 games U21s (Kaiapoi)
Richie Tupuailei: Sharks | 4/12 games U21s (Hornby)
Jackson Stewart: Roosters | 11 games U21s (Hornby)
Xavier Lynch: Knights | 11 games U21s (Halswell)
Dakota Kakoi: Eels |1/8 games U21s (Linwood)
Ezekiel Faga-Ieti: Knights | 3 games U21s (Hornby)
Genesis Ah Kam Sherlock: Bulldogs | 1 game U21s (Linwood)
Other notable juniors include Chelden Hayward (Bulldogs) who only played U19s and Warriors duo Bishop Neal (Hornby) and Lennox Tuiloma (Linwood). Neal is part of a younger wave who played U17s this year and Tuiloma played U17s last year but was out injured for all of 2025.
Musical jam…
Nick’s Notebook
This morning I watched a game of Norwegian club football in which Viking FK scored a 71st minute goal to beat Fredrikstad 1-0 and bring themselves one win away from listing the Eliteserien title for the first time since 1991. The reason this is so significant, and why I braved the perils of buffering and pop-ups for a non-readily-available stream, is because this is Joe Bell’s club. The All Whites midfielder was rested for the second game of the recent window (following a blinder against Colombia) specifically to keep him ready for these last two matches of his club season with a chance to confirm himself as a local legend in Stavanger.
Joe Bell played ninety minutes against Fredrikstad, doing his usual par excellence thing by sweeping at the base of midfield and pushing the ball around wherever it needed to go. He finished the game with the captain’s armband after Zlatko Tripic was subbed. Viking now just need to beat Valerengå in their last game to grab the trophy. Or match Bodø/Glimt’s result, whatever that may be. B/G needed a 90+4th minute winner this week to stay in the race, otherwise Viking would only have needed a draw in the final round.
Flying Kiwis will be back this week and this is probably going to be leading the way (depending on what Michael Boxall does in the MLS playoffs tomorrow), this segment is about following a thread about kiwi footballers winning league titles. Because there haven’t been many that would be more significant than what Joe Bell is aiming to achieve. The Norwegian Eliteserien probably falls just outside of Europe’s top twenty but that’s still some serious ball and Bell isn’t merely a squad player, he’s the vice captain and with the second most minutes played. A key figure for them.
I’ve been scratching around for other examples of kiwi footballers winning top flight league titles and I’ve found more than thirty instances between men and women (most recent being Monty Patterson and Rebecca Lake each winning the Canadian leagues) but the only ones where those NZers were also first eleven players for the bulk of those seasons were these...
Wynton Rufer in Germany with Werder Bremen (1992-93)
Simon Elliott in America with LA Galaxy (2002)
Ryan Nelson in America with DC United (2004)
Ali Riley in America with FC Gold Pride & WNY Flash (2010, 2011)
Ali Riley in Sweden with FC Rosengård (2013, 2014, 2015)
Abby Erceg in USA with NC Courage & WNY Flash (2016, 2018, 2019)
CJ Bott in Norway with Valerenga (2020)
Meikayla Moore in Scotland with Glasgow City (2022-23)
Marko Stamenic in Serbia with Crvena zvezda (2023-24)
Malia Steinmetz in Denmark with FC Nordsjælland (2023-24)
Bound to be more that I’ve missed, hit up the DMs if you can think of any – this list is only top divisions though, and even then it’s excluding a few which are obviously of a lower standard (like the aforementioned Canadian efforts – though I’m not sure if any quite meet the first eleven criteria anyway... Lake and also Jay Herdman in the men’s comp in 2024 joined midseason and finished as starting eleven players, including in the finals, but weren’t there for all of the journey).
With respect to the early days of MLS, I’m going to rank this potential achievement higher than that. Wynton Rufer is #1 as usual. Abby Erceg comes next, since she even captained those Courage sides. Then probably Ali Riley, though Joe Bell & Viking would arguably slide in ahead if they get the job done. Marko Stamenic won in a higher ranked league but that was with a Red Star team that wins every year and usually by a big margin which takes at least a little bit of the shine off the achievement (and in Denmark and Greece he wasn’t a starter, more a squad option). You get the idea... we’re in rare territory here.
Just in case there are people out there who think that the Welly Nix’s new phenom Pia Vlok has suddenly popped up out of nowhere, have a read of the timeline of her last couple years because this girl has been one of Aotearoa’s most exciting prospects since she first played National League as a 15yo...
Makes her National League debut for Auckland United in week three of the 2023 season (alongside current WeeNix wing-back Poppy O’Brien) as a 15yo. Goes on to make seven appearances, all as a sub, including an appearance in the final as AU won the championship.
Around the same time, September 2023, she represented Aotearoa for the first time at the Oceania U16 Championships, where she was doing things like this as New Zealand strolled to victory (five wins from five, scoring 51 goals and conceding one – though the final was close, only winning 1-0 vs Fiji). Vlok scored seven goals at the tournament including four off the bench in a 27-0 win vs Vanuatu.
She was back on the Oceania scene in September 2024 where she scored four times in five matches with the next wave of NZ U16s and was crowned the Player of the Tournament.
Went to the U17 World Cup in October 2024 despite having only just turned 16yo (she was the third youngest player in the squad), making two appearances with starts against Dominican Republic and Ecuador.
Because of the timing of the U17s, she only made three National League apps last year... but one of those was the grand final where she was called up at late notice to replace Chloe Knott... Vlok scored from outside the box two minutes into the match and went on to win Player of the Match as Auckland United beat Waterside Karori 3-1 for the trophy. She was the youngest player on the pitch.
Signed a three year contract (two as a scholar, then the third as a full) with the Wellington Phoenix in August 2025, making her the youngest player in the senior squad.
Went to her second U17 World Cup in October where she captained New Zealand and played every single minute of their three matches (Japan, Paraguay & Zambia).
Got her A-League debut off the bench for the Wellington Phoenix in week one, making her the third youngest player to appear for the Nix in that competition (one day older than Ela Jerez).
One week later she was elevated to start and set up a goal in the fourth minute of that match (1-1 vs Newcastle).
She stayed in the starting line-up for the following match and scored the only goal in a 1-0 win vs Melbourne Victory. That makes her the youngest ever scorer for the club (one day younger than Milly Clegg). She also played ninety minutes in that match, another milestone for her as a 17yo professional.
WNL Team of the Week #9
GK – Lauren Paterson (Southern United) – Weirdly, the two standout performing goalies both got thrashed. It was either Aoife Gallagher-Forbes of Petone or LP of Southern... both of whom made so many outrageous saves in games their teams ought to have lost by a lot more. Paterson gets the nod because AGF did make a boo-boo for one of the goals.
RB - Maisy McDonald (Wellington Phoenix) – Another goal and assist as the speedy wing-back continues to impress for the WeeNix... even getting stuck into some of the niggly stuff against Rangers. No feelings of intimidation over here, people.
CB – Holly Robins (Wellington Phoenix) – One of the best young defenders in the country. Her height helps plenty with the defensive acts but actually what sets her apart is how well she steps into the midfield and the precision with which she plays that ball forward.
CB – Zoe Barrott (Wellington United) – Wellington United missed out on the grand final by one point but they did beat Auckland United in the last match, joining West Coast Rangers and Wuhan Jianghan as the only teams to keep AU scoreless this year. Naturally ZB was heavily involved.
LB – Britney Cunningham-Lee (Western Springs) – Might as well go super attacking with it, last round of the season and all that, because BCL was at her barnstorming best against Southern with two goals and an assist and probably should’ve had more.
CM – Amelia Abbott (Wellington United) – Genuinely one of the signings of the season, the way that Abbott’s fitted into this Diamonds side at short notice with pristine defensive midfield activities and you oughta see the goal she scored to beat Auckland United. That’s what it took to deal AUFC their first Women’s National League defeat in over two years.
CM – Anjelina Ujdur (West Coast Rangers) – The 20yo midfielder’s been a reliable addition to WCR with her strength and workrate... not to mention the long passing prowess that earned her two more assists on Sunday.
CM – TJ Anderson (Eastern Suburbs) – Sometimes all you need is one great outlet... like TJA’s long throws which directly assisted two goals as the Lilywhites won again to earn their grand final spot. Anderson’s corner kicks were also delicious and yeah don’t worry she’s decent in open play too.
FW – Summer Laskey (Wellington United) – In any other team, Laskey would be the star player with her sizzling pace out wide and superb finishing... but Maggie Jenkins takes the cake in this team. Nevertheless, Laskey was irrepressible in a famous win against AUFC.
FW – Frankie Morrow (Canterbury United) – The Pride captain saved her best until last with a masterclass to thrash Central Football, scoring three and assisting three in a 9-0 victory.
FW – Maddison Ollington (Western Springs) – There are a few teams that have been able to limit Maddi Ollington... but not many. And a Southern Utd side without Hannah Mackay-Wright just didn’t seem to have a clue how to go about it as Ollington’s dynamic dribbling blew them away. She was involved in almost everything that her team did.
Musical Jam...
