Ben Lockrose

Ben Lockrose is an English-born left-arm spinner making waves in New Zealand’s deep South.

He has progressed through the Otago ranks, representing the State through the age groups, and breaking into the senior Volts set-up.

His exploits for Otago have culminated with national inclusion, representing New Zealand Under-18s (2016/17), Under-19s (2018), and select XI (2019) sides.

A schoolboy prodigy, Lockrose starred for Otago Boys in three National Secondary Schoolboys Championships. In his final season (2017/18), he was named the NZ Secondary School’s Youth Cricketer of the Year, courtesy of 11 wickets at 9.63 to top the Schoolboy wicket charts.

The previous summer (2016/17), he excelled for Otago at both the Under-17 (13 wickets at 17) and Under-19 (11 wickets at 18.09) Championships, to earn selection for the New Zealand Under-18s. The side competed in the National Provincial A Tournament and, unsurprisingly, Lockrose was a key figure, finishing as the tournament’s second-leading wicket-taker (10 wickets at 15.60).

Thereafter, the tweaker made his Hawke Cup debut for Southland against North Otago (February 2017) taking figures of 6-41 (20).

At 17, and still at school, his exploits were rewarded with a senior Otago Volts debut in December 2017. Lockrose donned the baggy blue in a side including the likes of Blackcaps stars Neil Wagner, Mark Craig, Rob Nicol, Neil Broom, and Hamish Rutherford, against the Craig Cachopa-lead Auckland Aces.

Chucked into the deep end, Lockrose was handed the new ball with the Aces chasing 147 for victory in the Super Smash T20 fixture. He proceeded to take a wicket in his first over, that of Ben Horne, on his way to economical figures of 1-23 (4).

He played in the next match against the Firebirds, before heading back to Christchurch for the ICC Under-19 World Cup (January 2018).

Roll on the 2018/19 season and Lockrose made his Ford Trophy (List A), and Plunket Shield (first-class) debuts for Otago, before earning selection to play the touring Bangladeshis for a New Zealand XI in February 2019.

After 2 years out the Otago mix, impressive performances for of his club, Minor Association, and Provincial A form, returned to the Volts fold, playing both FC and List A cricket last summer (2021/22). He has subsequently earned an Otago contract for the 2022/23 season.

Lockrose has also an instrumental figure for Dunedin Premier club side Taieri, with whom, he has been the leading wicket-taker in three of the past four seasons. Lockrose has skippered Taieri and over the past two seasons has bagged 25 wickets at 17.88 (2020/21), and 19 wickets at 10.47 (2021/22).

The left-arm spinner returned to his homeland for his first league cricket stint in 2021. He ended up spending two successful summers with Middlesex Premier League outfit Hampstead, taking 88 wickets at 19.99, alongside 435 runs at 16.11.

Lockrose is keen to progress his cricket, therefore is also seeking opportunities to trial with Counties throughout the 2023 summer. The dual Passport holder is a player that comes highly recommended by a number of profile players and coaches in New Zealand cricket.