Brutal North East Valley top order batter Llew Johnson has nabbed one of Otago’s two remaining contract spots.
The hard-hitting right-hander made his debut for the province as a 17-year-old when he replaced an out of form Jimmy Neesham in the Volts T20 side in 2018.
He struggled to make an impact initially but forced his way back into contention in November 2020 when he walloped a scarcely believable 256 not out during a club game.
Johnson was recalled to the side and showed his enormous potential with a fine knock of 72 from 44 balls in a T20 against Auckland at Molyneux Park the following month.
But consistency eluded him and a lot of misses followed.
But until now Johnson has been operating on the fringes. A domestic contract will finally allow the 22-year-old the freedom to focus solely on cricket and make the improvements he needs to turn potential into the only currency which matters — runs.
He will be joined in the squad by Josh Finnie, who was looking in good touch before he was felled by a bouncer during a training session and missed the bulk of the season due to concussion.
His talent is far greater than his overall record suggests but, like Johnson, the 25-year-old has struggled for consistency.
Finnie has made himself available for red-ball cricket this season. The past few seasons he has focused on limited-overs cricket, which suits his skill set.
All-rounder Angus McKenzie was contracted last season, but has not been offered a contract this season.
The 23-year-old has played 21 games across three formats for the Volts and has shown some potential with the ball. He gets some handy swing and has taken 12 first-class wickets for Otago at an average of 38.58.
Volts coach Dion Ebrahim said he was pleased with the balance of the squad.
"My job will be to unlock the capabilities of all our players so that they can play with a freedom to express themselves and learn constantly." he said.
Johnson joins Andrew Hazeldine, Ben Lockrose, and Jacob Cumming as newly contracted Otago Volts.
Otago Volts
Contracts 2022-23
Matt Bacon, Max Chu, Jacob Cumming, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Dean Foxcroft, Jake Gibson, Andrew Hazeldine, Llew Johnson, Ben Lockrose, Jarrod McKay, Travis Muller, Dale Phillips, Michael Rae, Michael Rippon, Hamish Rutherford.
