Joseph Adam Frank Yovich (born 15 December 1976) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

cricketer of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n descent.

Biography

A solid all-rounder for

Northern Districts The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the ...

, he debuted in the 1994/95 season and went on to become the first player to take 100 wickets and score 1000 runs in List A one-day cricket for the team. One of few players to have played 100 first-class games for the side, by the end of the 2012/13 season he had 255 first-class wickets and 4839 runs, having converted himself to a top order batsmen in the latter years of his ND career. This makes him the only player in New Zealand cricket to have done both the List A 100 wickets/1000 runs double and the first-class 200 wickets/2000 runs double for a single Major Association team. Born in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and Hikurangi Town coun ...

Yovich was part of the Whangārei Boys' High School 1st XI side which won the national secondary schools' competition, the Gillette Cup, in 1994, beating Auckland private school King's College in the final. A right-arm pace bowler and powerful left-hand batsman, he represented New Zealand at youth level, touring England with the New Zealand Under-19s and Australia with the New Zealand Under-20s in 1996; and represented New Zealand at the 2003 Hong Kong Sixes. He toured India and Australia with New Zealand A in 2001 and 2006 respectively, and was also named in the preliminary New Zealand squad for the 2003 World Cup. In 2005–06 he and Mark Orchard added 322 for the sixth wicket against

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

in Napier for the sixth wicket record. He was named Northern Districts Cricketer of the Year twice, in 1999/2000 and 2005/06, and New Zealand Domestic Twenty20 MVP player of series in the 2008/09 season. Yovich has also played for Northland in the

Hawke Cup The Hawke Cup is a non-first-class cricket competition for New Zealand's district associations. Apart from 1910–11, 1912–13 and 2000–01 the competition has always been on a challenge basis. To win the Hawke Cup, the challengers must beat t ...

and was named Northland Sportsman on the Year in 2003. Yovich is a founding member of the New Zealand Croatia cricket club, formed in 2013.

References

External links

Interview by www.world-a-team.com with Richard Sherlock
* 1976 births Living people New Zealand cricketers Northern Districts cricketers Cricketers from Whangārei New Zealand people of Croatian descent People educated at Whangarei Boys' High School {{NewZealand-cricket-bio-1970s-stub