Central Districts Cricket is excited to announce that the Central Hinds have gained the services of experienced opening batsman Natalie Dodd for the 2018/19 season.

Dodd has played 18 matches for the WHITE FERNS; 93 national domestic one-day and 62 Twenty20 matches for Northern Spirit; has captained the Spirit; and been their player of the year for the past two seasons, meaning she will bring invaluable match experience to the youthful Central Hinds squad that took its first steps into the future with a fresh-look squad last summer — including five debutants.

Just 25 herself, high-achieving Dodd is dominant at domestic level yet also has plenty of cricket left in front of her, and is looking forward to challenging herself in a fresh environment for the first time since her 2007/08 Spirit debut, when she was still a schoolgirl.

These days, away from cricket, Dodd now has an established career in the Waikato region as a primary schoolteacher, and will remain based in Hamilton whilst representing the Hinds.

The stylish right-hander’s weath of experience is among a number of positives that Central Hinds Coach Jamie Watkins sees Dodd bringing to his side.

“We’re stoked to have Nat on board as her experience is huge for us,” says Taranaki-based Watkins. “It’s also ideal when you look at what it will do for the balance of our squad.

“With [Wellington-based opening batsman] Rebecca Burns returning to play for Wellington Blaze next season, part of Nat’s appeal is the stability she will bring to the top of our order. In addition, Nat has also kept wicket in the past — which means we now have a back-up wicketkeeping option for Kerry Tomlinson. And frankly, that was a concern for us last summer, knowing that if Kerry were injured, we would have been vulnerable behind the stumps. We have a couple of quite young keepers in the CD region who are still progressing to domestic level, but we didn’t have the readymade back-up of someone like Nat.”

Despite being a fresh-faced side under new captain Anlo van Deventer, the Hinds finished in the top four of last summer’s NZC Women’s Twenty20 competition after beating the defending champions, while two wins in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield saw them to fifth out of the six teams in the one-day format.

But it could have been better.

“In the close games, it was our batting letting us down, rather than our bowling or fielding,” says Watkins. “So I’m really excited about what next season has to offer, and looking forward to welcoming Nat into our team culture which is something we really pride ourselves on.”

With young Whanganui allrounder Jess Watkin having this week    jetted off on her maiden WHITE FERNS tour, the addition of Dodd brings the number of New Zealand international players in the squad to three, 21-year-old Manawatu star Hannah Rowe no longer flying the flag alone.

Tomlinson and Mikaela Greig have meanwhile both represented the Netherlands at international level.

The Hinds will have their first preseason squad camp in mid-July before getting their hands dirty racing through the mud, swamps and other obstacles of the Tough Guy And Gal Challenge in Rotorua in August.