Over the years it has been a common rite of passage for young Kiwi cricketers to pack their coffins and head to the Northern Hemisphere over winter to experience a different style of cricket.

Be it the village greens of England, the cooler climbs of Scotland or the coconut matting of Holland, all offer a unique opportunity to be immersed in a different cricket culture.

One of the Christchurch players flying north for the winter is Matt Hay from the Burnside West Cricket Club.  Matt’s Premier club career now spans three seasons and he has also forced his way into the Canterbury A programme.

During our summer Matt opened a dialogue with the Royal Hague Cricket Club in Holland and was soon signed as their overseas pro.

The Hague playing in the ten-team top division named the “Top Klasse” and with two full rounds of play there will be plenty of chances for Matt to shine. 

With the Dutch National team being included in the recently announced Euro Slam Matt commented that “There is lots of excitement and focus around the league with the creation of the Euro Slam and Holland being included in the ICC Future Tours Programme from 2020”.

In terms of the Dutch culture, Matt has bought his first bike and enjoys riding through the streets of The Hague.  Pitches are artificial mat over clay and some grounds have a full artificial turf outfield and are shared with the local football club.

The league has its fair share of overseas players with Zac Gibson (Northern Districts) and Andrew Fletcher (Wellington) joining Matt, along with a range of first-class players from South Africa.

The Hague have made a good start to the season, winning two from three.

If you want to keep up with Matt’s adventures follow him on twitter @Hay_Matt16

Article added: Tuesday 21 May 2019