Black Caps Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway hail from the rainbow nation – and hoping to join them is Sydenham batter Bevon-John Jacobs.
Jacobs moved to New Zealand with his family as a three-year-old from Pretoria, South Africa.
He grew up in Auckland, where Jacobs said he learned cricket from his father, an avid fan of the sport.
“My dad loved the game,” he said.
Jacobs played for Westlake Boys’ High School’s first XI as a teenager and represented Auckland U19 at the national provincial competition.
After leaving school he moved to Christchurch to study sport and recreation management on a cricket scholarship at Lincoln University.
Said Jacobs: “Me and my family had a discussion about it and we thought that that would be the best step forward for me and my career.
“Not only can I chase my dream of playing cricket but I can get the degree done at the same time.”
Jacobs joined Sydenham in 2021 and took to the Christchurch Metro competition, breaking multiple records during his time at the club so far.
The 21-year-old set the record for the highest 50-over score in the competition’s history in January, scoring 178 runs in an innings against Old Boys Collegians to break the previous record of 169.
In the same season his tally of 535 runs in the one-day set another record and higher honours seemed inevitable.
The hard-hitting batter became a regular for second-tier Canterbury A, and said being in that environment benefited him.
“From then onward is when I felt like maybe I had a chance and so I just tried to keep working at it,” he said.
Jacobs’ hard work paid off when he was named in the Canterbury team for his Ford Trophy debut against Wellington at Hagley Oval in November, and he described it as “unreal”.
“I think it didn’t really hit me until I got onto the field and first experienced it for myself.
“I couldn’t really describe the feeling but I really enjoyed myself.”
He backed it up with a successful T20 Super Smash debut against Auckland, where he scored 42 runs off just 20 balls, against Black Caps bowlers Jimmy Neesham and Ben Lister.
Jacobs’s efforts couldn’t secure a win for Canterbury but he said he was grateful for the faith shown in him.
“It’s nice to have that reassurance, that they’ve picked me and I feel like I can actually belong at this level.”
He’s not getting ahead of himself either, being realistic on his chances in the future.
Said Jacobs: “I’ve only just broken onto the domestic scene now.
“I’m just trying to put my best foot forward and then hopefully the rest can take care of itself.”
By Sam Coughlan
