What do Jeff Wilson, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan and Craig Cumming have in common?
Long before they played their first match for their country, they made their names at the South Island primary schools cricket tournament.
The competition has a proud history stretching back to 1963, when Marlborough claimed the honours. This year, Dunedin Metro, Canterbury Country and Christchurch Red shared the title, after the last round of games was washed out.
It was Dunedin Metro's seventh title. The next bunch of potential stars is beginning to emerge.
There is no way to tell whether they will add their names to the list of more than 30 Black Caps who got their start at the tournament, but Dunedin Metro coach Steve Brown believes he has a talented group.
Promising all-rounder Declan Su'a stood out with a rare feat. He took five for 12, which included a hat trick, in a crucial game against Mid Canterbury.
"We've kept the ball, which we are hopefully going to get mounted and presented to him," Brown said.
But others also shone. Jarryd Taig scored 220 runs, including a 90 against Canterbury Country.
Captain Taine Bayly was impressive throughout the tournament. He opened the bowling and is a handy left hand batsman with a solid technique.
All three made the Otago primary school team, along with team-mates Cameron McAuslan, Max Chu and Tom Pledger.
Dunedin had drawn the West Coast in the last game and would have pushed for the bonus point it might have needed to win the tournament outright, but the weather intervened.
However, it was able to savour wins against Nelson, North Otago and Mid Canterbury and a draw with Canterbury Country.
For the record, Chris Cairns has made the most appearances at the tournament competing in 1980, 81, 82, 83 and 84.
Jeff Wilson holds the record for the most wickets in a single tournament, with 37 scalps at an average of 7.2 in Ashburton in 1987.
Otago's leading run-scorer and century-maker Craig Cumming holds the record for the most centuries scored at single tournament, with three for South Canterbury, in Christchurch in 1989.
The following year, Craig McMillan set the tournament at Gore alight with 311 runs at an average of 155.5, including an undefeated 152 from 145 balls.
Otago team
SI primary schools tournament
• Nathan Smith (captain), Cameron McAuslan, Jarryd Taig, Taine Bayly, Gus Woods, Llew Johnson, Mitchell Pryde, Jack Turner, Max Chu, Midge van Boxtel, Tom Pledger, Declan Su'a.
