How the Volts regained their spark
A turnaround in team culture and multiple contributors stepping up has been the catalyst for the Otago Volts’ rags to riches transformation.
Otago will host the final of the Ford Trophy 50-over competition against Wellington at Dunedin’s University Oval today, which is some achievement after finishing bottom in that format over the past two summers.
The Volts have been a rabble in recent seasons, finishing last in all three forms in 2016-17 and narrowly avoided a repeat last summer, placing fifth in the Plunket Shield.
Their poor results last season was reflected off the field with unrest in the dressing room and senior players Jimmy Neesham and Neil Wagner both shifting to new associations over the winter. Otago Cricket carried out an independent review with concerns raised around the Volts’ culture and the need for players to have a greater voice in a re-established leadership group.
Otago’s South African-born coach Rob Walter, in his third season, praised the way Otago had regained respect with their strong Ford Trophy performances earning a home final with a seven win-three loss record.
Just as pleasing was the way they had gone about their cricket and the resilience they had shown to win tight games, which hasn’t always been a hallmark of the Volts.
Otago will be gunning for their first 50-over men’s title since 2007-08 when Brendon McCullum blasted 170 off 108 balls in the decider against Auckland. Veteran batsman Neil Broom is the lone Volts survivor still playing from that triumph.
‘‘For me personally I wouldn’t say the [final] result is irrelevant, but I’m as proud of this team as I can be already,’’ Walter told Stuff.
‘‘To think what we’ve achieved with our guys and the games we’ve won and the way we’ve won, it’s been extraordinary really. [A title] would just be the cherry on top of the cake.’’
Culture is frequently bandied about in professional sport and can mean different things to different people.
There hadn’t been any monumental shift in what the Volts were doing, but Walter said it started with players being accountable and everyone buying into what they were trying to achieve.
‘‘For us it was really identifying what did our values actually mean to us, what do they look like in practice and then really focusing on living those every day.
‘‘That’s cliche, but that’s what culture is, living your values out to the best of your ability every single day.
‘‘It isn’t rocket science or a magic wand that gets waved, it’s literally being prepared to do the gritty work day in, day out, and live out your values.’’
Otago have often been guilty of relying on two or three players to carry the load in past seasons, but Walter was thrilled with the way their whole squad had delivered at various stages.
Opener Hamish Rutherford was pivotal, hitting centuries in two of their first five matches. He has missed the past three games, featuring for New Zealand A against India A and is unavailable for the final due to their four-day match in Whangarei.
Without Rutherford, other batsmen have chipped in with Broom, off-season recruit Mitch Renwick, Josh Finnie and Michael Rippon all scoring over 200 runs in the competition.
Skipper Jacob Duffy has been outstanding with the ball, nabbing 22 wickets at 19, the second most in the competition behind Wellington captain Hamish Bennett (24). Fellow paceman Matthew Bacon (16 wickets), left-arm wrist spinner Rippon (12) and young quick Nathan Smith (11) have also chipped in with valuable scalps along the way.
‘‘If I’m proud of one thing around this campaign it’s we didn’t rest success on one person,’’ Walter said.
‘‘People think winning games is the fruits of coaching labour. It isn’t really because that would be way too fickle.
‘‘The real enjoyment and success lies in watching guys who you’ve invested huge amounts of time into their game and you’ve walked that journey with them finding individual success and making breakthroughs.’’
Otago Cricket’s independent review led to an overhaul of their selection panel, headed by an independent selector.
That role has been filled by respected former Otago seamer Warren McSkimming.
Former Otago rugby coach and one-time Highlanders assistant Steve Martin is the new selection convener this year with Walter completing the three-person panel.
The change has helped bring success with Martin and McSkimming keeping a close eye on the Otago A side and club cricket, which has streamlined the selection process and allowed Walter greater time to concentrate on the day-to-day running of the Volts.
Gaining a home final is a boon for Otago Cricket, but Walter stressed it’s only the beginning.
‘‘By no means have we reached the top of the mountain, we’ve just reached the final, but it’s obviously a far side better than what we had in the past.’’