It may only be the second round of the Plunket Shield, but the Knight’s game against the Firebirds at the Basin represents the 100th First Class game for Joey Yovich representing the Northern Knights.
Yovich made his Knights debut in the 1996/97 season. During his 14 year First Class career he’s scored over 3600 runs including three centuries and 21 half centuries. He has also taken 255 wickets with his right-arm fast-medium bowling for the Northern side.
Knights coach Grant Bradburn was playing in the ND side when Yovich made his debut. He’s seen Yovich blossom from a young 18 year old from Northland to an influential senior member of the side. “The term that comes to mind with Joey is ‘we before me’,” Bradburn said. “That’s Joey to a tee. Extremely passionate about the team doing well.”
The Knights are currently dominating the Plunket Shield fixture against the Firebirds in Wellington, with Yovich at the crease at the end of day two. Knights captain James Marshall, who has also played 100 First Class matches for the Knights, said Yovich is now part of a very small group of players to reach that milestone, not only for ND but for their chosen association. “It’s no mean achievement and even rarer these days as the contract system means players move around a bit more,” he said. “But Joey has been ND through and through since he was a young lad playing age-group cricket. The boys are pretty keen to make it a good one for Joey’s 100th.”
Yovich is only the fourth player to reach 100 First Class games for Northern Districts. Besides Grant Bradburn (115) and James Marshall (101), Andy Roberts played 104. Team-mate Michael Parlane has also played well over 100 First Class games, but for a mix of associations.
