The summer temperatures of Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Napier are a world away from the winter surrounds of her home county of Yorkshire, and English all-rounder Hollie Armitage is loving her Kiwi adventure.
Armitage’s side, the Central Hinds, are preparing for their Dream11 Super Smash Elimination final on Friday this week; the prize, a Grand Final appearance against Wellington Blaze, a team headed by one of the best players in the world, Tawa’s exceptional White Fern, Amelia Kerr.
For the Hinds, reaching the top three with a record of four wins, one tie and three defeats from eight completed matches (with the other two abandoned) is a vast improvement on their 2022/23 Super Smash campaign where they finished with just one win from 10 completed matches.
In the off-season, it was evolution rather than revolution for the Hinds. Pace bowler Monique Rees and wicketkeeper-batter Gemma Sims departed for the Wellington Blaze, while former captain Jess Watkin joined the Northern Brave. In came top-order batter Thamsyn Newton from Wellington, with youngsters Aniela Apperley and Flora Devonshire, who gained Central Hinds contracts for the first time. Former Central Stag and Blackcaps all-rounder Jacob Oram was announced as Head Coach in September. Then, just before the Super Smash campaign started in late December, the signing of Armitage was revealed.
Oram says: “Part of the decision around [signing] an overseas player was experience, so we were looking for someone who could provide that from a playing perspective, but also a leadership angle as well. So, Hollie ticked those boxes, and then when you factor in her skill level and the fact that she can bat and bowl, and especially batting with a bit of power, it was a no-brainer really, so she’s obviously brought those attributes to the team.
“What people wouldn’t see is that she’s just such a good fit into our team environment and she’s a very outgoing person who’s just fitted in straightaway. She’s been a great addition on and off the field and I think has been a massive contributor to how our Super Smash campaign has gone,” he says.
Armitage, 26, has a decade of top-level cricket behind her, having played for Yorkshire, the Northern Diamonds and the Northern Superchargers in England, as well as the Sydney Sixers in Australia’s WBBL and England A, where she captained the side for a couple of their matches against India A last year. Like so many cricketers, she started playing through her family.
“I started playing cricket at the age of 10. I come from a cricket family. I used to go and watch my Dad play and watch my cousins play and I ended up taking a liking to it. I got stuck in with the lads at the local cricket club and just started playing from there really,” says Armitage.
Armitage has opened the batting for the Hinds, looking to bring her powerful, attacking game to the powerplay overs at the start of the innings. It’s been largely successful, with Armitage near the top of the competition’s batting leaderboard throughout the season, with 219 runs to date, only behind the White Ferns trio of Suzie Bates, Melie Kerr and Maddy Green. She’s also chipped in with the ball when required.
“The bowling’s a work-on still, I think. Obviously, you want to be a multi-dimensional cricketer to help in team selections and to offer something else, plus it also gives you opportunities in the game, so it’s a big work-on for me, but hopefully I can get that nailed in the next couple of years,” she says.
Armitage’s qualities can, in part, be attributed to the ongoing evolution of the women’s professional game in England. The England and Wales Cricket Board may have been behind their New Zealand and Indian counterparts in offering women cricketers the same pay as their male counterparts, but now they have followed suit, and competitions such as The Hundred have captured the public’s imagination.
“The development of the women’s game back home is brilliant. Having contracted domestic players over there makes it a lot easier to balance work, lifestyle and cricket. The standard over there is just getting better and better, so it’s really exciting for the next few years,” says Armitage.
Armitage is just one of a group of strong overseas signings in the women’s competition this season. The Canterbury Magicians signed Pakistan all-rounder Fatima Sana for the first six rounds, following her successful appearances against the White Ferns here in New Zealand earlier this summer. The Northern Brave recruited Sri Lankan batter Chamari Athapaththu, who arrived at the start of January, and the Otago Sparks welcomed English left arm spinner Linsey Smith for her second season with the squad. For Jacob Oram, it’s a trend he’s happy to see continue in a limited fashion.
“I wouldn’t want to see three or four [overseas players] at every team because I think that obviously doesn’t provide opportunities to our own domestic players but I think if you’re going to have maybe one, possibly two per team, it’s got to be a good thing because it increases the standard and the quality of the competition which means that even the local players have to try and step up to those expectations,” says Oram.
“I think it’s a great thing you know, [Chamari] Athapaththu at the Northern Brave, [Linsey] Smith down at Otago, we’ve got Hollie. There are others involved, obviously. I think it’s a good thing because it not only helps the teams they are in but it also helps the competition standard overall,” he says.
Armitage, selection permitting, has the opportunity to return to New Zealand in the next few months, with England A touring and playing matches against New Zealand A in March, alongside the senior England team, who will play the White Ferns in a five match T20 international series, followed by a three match one day international series. Outside of international opportunities, she would encourage anyone back home in England who gets the opportunity, to come and play in New Zealand.
“The standard [of cricket in the SuperSmash] has been brilliant. We’ve got a really good group of girls here, some really talented girls, and the standard’s been very good.”
