A Hallyburton Johnstone Shield swansong awaits Otago Sparks captain Felicity Robertson today with the influential veteran and former WHITE FERN announcing her retirement ahead of the final round.
Robertson is one of the most experienced captains on the circuit, with 142 List A one-day matches and 138 T20s to her name.
Prior to moving to Otago and winning the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield back-to-back in the previous two seasons, Robertson — under her maiden name, Felicity Leydon-Davis — also captained Northern Districts in their first appearance in a national Final, a high-scoring bittersweet match in which she scored a century but couldn’t stop the Auckland Hearts from claiming the trophy.
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Robertson’s Domestic career has spanned 16 seasons, and she also represented New Zealand — her brother Oliver and sister Susannah also represented New Zealand in the sport at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Robertson stepped away from elite badminton in 2015 and moved to Otago in 2021 after 12 years with Northern Districts, whom she had represented since she was a schoolgirl.
Her cricket career saw her become a double international, becoming a contracted WHITE FERN in 2014/15, and playing eight T20 Internationals (including the 2014 T20 World Cup), and one ODI for the WHITE FERNS — taking a spectacular five-wicket-bag, 5/18 in that one-off 50-over appearance against the West Indies.
That was a decade ago, after which a bulging disc and a couple of back surgeries temporarily sidelined her from the Sparks.
But the wait to get back on the park was worth it, with long awaited champion’s medals ahead.
Robertson, known to all on the circuit simply as ‘Floss’, began her journey with Northern Districts in 2009, and made two of the team’s top six scores of all time — an unbeaten 131* in 2018/19 and her 124 in the 2019/20 Final. She’s the association’s fourth highest all-time run-scorer with 1,645 runs and was their fifth most capped player with 86 matches before her move to Otago.
In the T20 arena, she’s ND’s second most capped female player of all time behind Caitlin Gurrey, with 72 appearances, and played a key role with the ball of course as well before the back issues.
For Otago, she has accrued 443 T20 runs (in the Sparks top 10) and had scored two Hallyburton Johnstone Shield centuries over the last two seasons, including 123 against the Hinds this summer, among 1,204 runs in the blue and gold.
But statistics never tell all the story, especially when it comes to leadership. Robertson became the Sparks’ one-day captain ahead of the 2023/24 season, sparking the back-to-back Hallyburton Johnstone Shield titles as she set the standard with both bat and ball, while fostering a culture of resilience and belief along with head coach Craig Cumming.
Last season she was named as the Sparks’ Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year.
Current Sparks Head Coach Gareth Davies said it had been “an absolute pleasure to work alongside Felicity this season.
“Her commitment to both cricket and Otago has been nothing short of outstanding.
“Balancing the demands of work, life, and cricket is never easy, yet she has shown time and again her dedication, resilience, and heart — a true testament to her character.
“She leaves not only as a successful captain, but as someone who has genuinely made a difference.”
Robertson has continued to lead from the front in what is now her last season, topping the Sparks’ stats in this year’s Hallyburton Johnstone Shield with 328 runs — the third-highest tally in the competition, ahead of the last round.
With 4,229 runs and 156 wickets across her overall Domestic career, Robertson’s numbers speak volumes.
Teammate Suzie Bates said Robertson “has been such a huge part of Domestic cricket in New Zealand.
“It’s been an honour to both play against her and alongside her.
“She’s a true competitor and has shown incredible resilience in the way she’s fought back from injuries and setbacks.
“Since moving to Otago, she’s not only made the team stronger, but has helped lead us to back-to-back HBJ titles.
“We’ve been so lucky to share the field with her at the Otago Sparks where she has left a legacy that will be felt for years to come.”
