Old Boys Collegians Cricket Club (OBC) is a Christchurch cricket club whose primary objective is to foster, control, promote, advance and encourage the game of cricket – in particular amongst former and present day pupils of Christchurch Boys’ High School, Christ’s College and St Andrew’s College. OBC provides teams for players of all ages and abilities to compete in various grades organised by Christchurch Metropolitan Cricket Association (for Senior cricket), and Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (for Junior cricket).
Our Club aims to strengthen communities through the provision of quality sport and recreation to promote health and wellbeing. We have a strong ethos of inclusion and strive to increase participation in recreational sport in the community – often supporting well over 60 teams across all grades across the city. The Club is a not-for-profit organisation (incorporated society), recently being granted Charitable Status, which is run by a Committee of volunteers. OBC is one of the largest and most prestigious cricket clubs in New Zealand with over 500 active playing members, but there is much more below the surface.
OBC’s heritage is a proud one – as the Club is the result of an amalgamation of two prominent clubs in the region. OBC was formed through a merger of two famous local clubs, Christchurch High School Old Boys’ Cricket Club, which was established at the end of 1924, and Old Collegians’ Cricket Club, which was established at the beginning of 1924. Both proud and historically significant clubs in their own rights, Sir Richard Hadlee (an HSOB past player) noted that although the merger made sense – it was essentially two old ‘enemies’ which came together to form the new Club. The merger itself was in place for the commencement of the 2004/05 season, and thus Old Boys Collegians Cricket Club was born – as the product of these two storied clubs, which each had approximately 80 years in operation before they joined forces (read more about them in their links above).
As a result of the merger, the new OBC became numerically the strongest in Christchurch with teams competing in the majority of Men’s, Women’s and Junior grade competitions. Well over a decade into OBC’s existence, the Club has regularly provided 50 Junior teams each season – making it the largest in the South Island.
In recent years, OBC has been the benchmark for Christchurch club cricket – with the Premier Men winning the National Club Championships (held at Auckland’s Cornwall Park) in 2013, as well as ‘completing the double’ and winning both the 1 Day and 2 Day Competitions in 2016/17 – where the Premier Men represented Canterbury at the National Club Championships again. The following year, OBC was awarded the ‘Club of the Year’ at the NexiaNZ Canterbury Sports Awards in 2018 as recognition of our contribution to the community.
Since the successes in 2016/17, in 2 of the 3 seasons since then, we have had all 3 of our top Senior Men’s sides qualify for their 50 over finals – as well as the sustained success our Premier Women’s side has maintained year in and year out. Dayle Hadlee, who received an OBC Life Membership in recognition of his immense service both on and off the field to HSOB Cricket Club and NZ Cricket alike before the merger, penned to the Club that he applauds the Club’s merger and to see that it is so vibrant with playing numbers and on-field successes. The history of the three schools, Christchurch Boys’ High, Christ’s College and St. Andrews, joining forces, as well as being more accessible to a wider cricketing community, will help it to endure.
Since the merger the following players have achieved representative honours:
Blackcaps: Corey Anderson, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Shane Bond, Brendon McCullum, Paul Wiseman, Ish Sodhi
Domestic Men: Joel Abraham, Corey Anderson, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Shane Bond, Leighton Burtt, Jeff Case Brent Findlay, Ed Nuttall, Matt McEwan, Ben Rae, Logan van Beek, Cam Fletcher, Sean Davey, Gus McKenzie
White Ferns: Erin Birmingham, Sophie Devine, Katey Martin
Provincial Women: Michelle Mitchell, Sophie Devine, Erin Bermingham, Melissa Banks, Allie Mace-Cochrane, Emma Kench, Jessica Simmons, Abigale Gerken