Camberley is pleased to announce the signing of Wellington wicket-keeper batter Lauchie Johns for their 2022 Surrey Championship campaign.

Firebirds gloveman

Johns is an explosive wicket-keeper batter from New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. He has spent the past 3 seasons on contract with the Wellington Firebirds, playing 23 List A, 11 First-Class, and 3 T20 matches, in a side featuring the likes of Blackcaps player’s Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Jimmy Neesham, and Hamish Bennett.

Record-breaking debutant

Such was his promise, John’s made his List A debut for a New Zealand XI against the touring Pakistanis in January 2018, having made his Plunket Shield (First-Class) debut a few months earlier (November 2017). Roll on October 2018, and John’s would make a headline-grabbing Ford Trophy (List A) debut, taking a New Zealand record 7 catches. Thereafter, he played a crucial role in the Firebirds’ triumphant Trophy campaign, with the highlight his 24 off 20 balls to take his side to victory in the penultimate over.

During the initial stages of the 2020/21 Ford Trophy season, Johns opened the batting for the Firebirds with success, striking at over 100, with the side’s highest boundary per delivery ratio.

Unfortunately for Johns, stiff competition from kiwi gloveman Conway and Blundell has limited opportunities, and he wasn’t offered a domestic contract for the 2021/22 season. Given his omission, Johns is desperate to impress for Wellington A, and for his club side, Eastern Suburbs, in a view to regaining his slot in future.

Premier run machine

It’s fair to say, Johns has been a stand-out performer for Easts, New Zealand’s most successful club side for the past 7-years. Following his match-winning 100* (63 balls) against Zimbabwe Under-19 for Wellington A in 2017, Johns has dominated Wellington Premier Club cricket.

He is already the club’s most successful wicket-keeper and is swiftly climbing up the run charts. In Wellington’s Two-Day Premier Competition, Johns boasts run averages of 52.83 (2017/18), 33.86 (2018/19), 142 (2019/20), and 91.40 (2020/21), including 5 centuries during this period – 3 in succession last season, namely 120 (62) v North City, 176 (152) v Wellington Collegians, and 120 (126) v Petone-Riverside.

High praise…

Last summer, he also skippered the side, demonstrating his undoubted leadership skills. Current Wellington Firebirds and interim Blackcaps coach, Glenn Pocknall has overseen Johns’ development for over ten years and mirrors this sentiment:

“Lauchie has always looked to play his cricket positively. With the bat this comes in the form of him being able to hit boundaries and score quickly from ball one. When you add his versatility as a keeper it makes him a real threat in the shorter forms of the game. Recently he has been adding more skills to his long form game and it’s this hunger to learn and improve which I admire about him.”

Johns signs with Camberley

Johns remains a tremendous prospect and a view to his ongoing development is set to embark on his maiden UK stint in 2022 having recently signed with Camberley for their Surrey Championship campaign.