Yorkshire cricket whiz Alex Lees has taken Black Cap captain Kane Williamson up on the idea of leaving the United Kingdom's winter behind to play in the Bay this summer. We caught up with Lees for a quick chat about his plans.
One of England's finest opening batsmen will don the colours of Tauranga Boys' College at Blake Park today.
Yorkshire's Alex Lees is set to open the batting against Otumoetai Cadets after being enticed away from the English winter to play cricket for Bay of Plenty.
Lees, 23, is likely tobe available for Northern Districts in the four-day format but his main priority is to help Bay of Plenty retain the coveted Hawke Cup - regarded as the Ranfurly Shield of provincial cricket.
The name Hawke features prominently in the history of Yorkshire cricket where Lees has made quite a name for himself since making his debut in 2010.
In 2015, aged 22, he was named Yorkshire captain in both one-day formats - the youngest Yorkshire captain since Lord Hawke in 1882.
Lord Hawke was the first amateur captain of Yorkshire and the county's most successful captain ever, winning the County Championship a record eight times.
Lees had just turned 20 when he made 275no against Derbyshire at Chesterfield to become the youngest Yorkshire player to make a Championship double century.
He has played for England Lions and is regarded as a potential England player of the future.
So how does a player of such calibre end up playing in the Western Bay?
A key broker in getting Lees to play here, rather than elsewhere in Australasia where he had offers, was Black Caps captain and Tauranga local Kane Williamson.
Williamson has spent the last three seasons playing for Yorkshire and built a close bond with Lees.
"I was speaking to him in the winter and explained that I would probably miss out on any representative cricket. I wanted a little bit of time away in the sun playing and he said to come over and play for the Bay," Lees said.
"He sent me a photo of Mount Maunganui and helped me get here along with [Bay of Plenty Cricket chief executive] Chris Rapson.
"Our policy at Yorkshire is if we get an overseas [player] we only want the best of the best to add to our squad. Kane has been invaluable. It is not just the runs that he gets but what he brings to the dressing room and the environment that he helps create just by being there.
"There are players you come across who, in my opinion, are probably one in a generation. He has the all-round package of being a great bloke, a great cricketer and the way he speaks and thinks about the game, I don't think there's many better than Kane in world cricket."
Lees said he often asked Williamson for help with batting and captaincy.
"He has really helped my game. He is great to talk to about cricket and someone I always tap into for information if I am ever feeling a little bit off my game. When I was doing the captaincy I chatted to him about what I should do in different situations and he is a brilliant guy to speak to.
"The Yorkshire lads love him and the only issue now is the international schedule is so packed that unfortunately we don't see him as much as we'd like to."
RUN MACHINE: Alex Lees hits another boundary for Yorkshire. PHOTO:photosport
The tall left-handed Lees was looking forward to spending the rest of the summer based in Tauranga before he heads back to England for pre-season nets at Headingly.
"I've got the Hawke Cup coming up and Jimmy Pamment, the Northern Districts coach, says I can go and train and be around the boys whenever I want.
"The idea is hopefully I will get some good runs here and then go back into our season in good form."
Lees was pleased to help out Tauranga Boys' in the Baywide competition when he was available.
He followed in the footsteps of former New Zealand captain Geoff Howarth, who played for Tauranga Boys' College and Otumoetai College First XIs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when both teams were in the senior men's competition.
"First of all I think it is brilliant that Tauranga Boys' play in the men's competition. You only breed better cricketers in that environment of playing in men's cricket. We do a similar thing back home with our Yorkshire Academy who play in the Yorkshire leagues.
"I am really looking forward to it. Sometimes all it takes is a different player from a different environment to come and give young lads a little nugget of information and they may take it on board and improve their game.
"From my point of view I am just trying to help out and give everything that I have learned over the last few years."
Lees will also play for the Bay of Plenty Development XI against Hawke's Bay Development at Taupo on Sunday.
Alex Lees Born: Halifax, Yorkshire Age: 23 Left handed opening batsman, right arm leg spin Youngest Yorkshire player to make a Championship double century, aged 20 years and 95 days, 275no v Derbyshire at Chesterfield 2013. Played for England Lions in Sri Lanka 2014. In 2015, aged 22, named Yorkshire's captain in both one-day formats - the youngest Yorkshire captain since Lord Hawke in 1882. Batting record First class: 69 matches, 116 innings, 4104 runs, average 38.35, HS 275no, 10 x 100s, 20 x 50s List A: 41 matches, 38 innings, 1095 runs, average 30.41, SR 72.85, HS 102, 1x 100, 8 x 50s T20: 34 innings, 817 runs, ave 25.53, SR 121.94, HS 67no
