Otago pick an Australian leg-spinner for Championship

The naming of Australian Rob Smith is one of the features of the State Otago Volts cricket side for the first two rounds of the State Championship, beginning next Monday.

Smith (27), a right-arm leg-spin bowler and useful lower-order batsman, has a solid playing pedigree.

A member of the extended Queensland Bulls squad two seasons ago, Smith has also been part of the New South Wales squad, a second XI player for the English county Glamorgan and a talent scout for the Queensland Under-17 squad.

A first-grade player for 10 years, Smith has taken 257 senior club wickets at 27.7 and scored 834 runs at an average of 18.

In seven matches for the New South Wales Colts he took 26 wickets at 21.3 and in five games for the Queensland and New South Wales second XIs he secured 11 wickets at 26.

A former league player in the United Kingdom, Smith's best season (1998) saw him secure two hat-tricks and record a best bowling return of 7-6 for Bridgend.

Smith is a qualified teacher and is completing a Masters in Sports Marketing and Management.