200 and counting for local junior Matt Hay

Burnside West Christchurch University Cricket Club | October 31, 2025

Stringing together hundreds of games of top-level grassroots sport is becoming increasingly rarer than it once was.

On Saturday, November 1, BWCUCC captain Matt Hay joins a fairly elite collection of players to play 200 premier games for the club. He becomes the second local junior to achieve the feat, following in the footsteps of club legend Mark Hastings.

Matt grew up in Avonhead and began his cricketing journey at Burnside Park, often coached by his father, Peter – the now Chairman of BWCUCC – as he came through the junior ranks. In 2011, Matt began attending the renowned cricketing institution of Christchurch Boys' High School, where he was a two-year member of the First XI, claiming a national title in 2014 before captaining the side in 2015 and representing Canterbury U19S.

Once high school wrapped up, Matt returned to his junior club for the start of the 2016 summer and was a walk-up starter in the premier side. He was part of the club's drought-breaking One Day Title in 2017, ending close to 30 years of trophyless seasons on Avonhead Road.

Matt took over the captaincy in 2020 and delivered Burnside its second title since the early 90s in 2021. What has followed has made him the most successful captain in the club's history, and counting.

While at the helm, Hay has won two One-Day premierships to complement the 2017 win, one T20 title, and three Two-Day titles in a row, and is chasing a fourth this summer. An incredible turnaround from when he joined the club, and they were struggling to string together back-to-back wins.

2017 breakthrough.

During this period, Matt became a father to Ella with his partner, Libby. Over the past couple of weeks, Ella – now four – has started taking part in Burnside's Friday night cricket as her dad once did as a kid and as a coach. You can tell this means the world to Matt, and Ella loves it just as much.

When asked, Ella said she mostly enjoys "being with Pete in the clubrooms".

But also added, that she "loves watching Daddy hit the ball and she's very proud of him." Also saying "she loves him being there to watch and teach her to be a good cricketer."

Back at Friday night cricket with daughter, Ella.

The 28-year-old has been a regular in Canterbury's 2nd XI (Canterbury 'A') and boasts a phenomenal record at this level. He has also been a staple in skippering this side over the years, which demonstrates the respect his leadership holds across the province.

Higher honours were always beckoning, and in 2020, he made his List A debut for Canterbury. Three more caps in the format, including a BBI of 1/26 and a top score of 49 at an average of 25. He also played in five Super Smash fixtures because of his power and versatility.

He was fortunate enough to play alongside his younger brother, Mitchell, who has gone on to forge a fantastic career as a professional, including playing international cricket for the Blackcaps. Mitchell told CricConnect that it was always a pleasure to play alongside his older brother for so many games.

"It's been special sharing the field with Matt so many times. He's the ultimate competitor, he wins games single-handedly and he's someone you always want on your side… unless you're his brother and you've just missed a chance behind the stumps off his bowling."

Matt and Mitch playing List-A Cricket for Canterbury.

Statistically, Matt has been head and shoulders above anybody else in the competition, especially given the consistency with which he has delivered the numbers.

At the time of writing, He has played 199 games across all formats. His total stats are:

199 games, 215 innings, 9 not outs, 5067 runs, 30x50, 2x100 at an average of 24 and a high score of 130. And 100 catches.

With the ball, Hay has taken 356 wickets at 17.26, with a BBI of 8/72, BBM of 12/108 and 7 five-wicket hauls (innings), and 2 10-wicket hauls (match).

Hay has had plenty of teammates over the years at Burnside, as the University Club is a place where players come and go.

We asked a group of individuals who have played with Matt over the years for a few notes on the type of player and leader he truly is.

"He's probably the most dominant cricketer I've played with in terms of having such a significant influence on the game with both bat and ball. The most all-around cricketer that I've played with.

"What sets him apart, probably, is his competitiveness, and that he's always working on how he can win the game from any situation, which is very infectious.

"Off the field, really good at bringing the group together. He always sees the correlations between off-field connections and on-field results." – David Zohrab.

"Matt and I joined the club at similar times, and he played a crucial role in the campaign that brought BWC its first title in nearly 30 years. Since then, Matt has taken over the leadership reins and has been monumental in driving our culture and success as a club. He has led Burnside through arguably its most successful era, while becoming a premier all-rounder and a constant match-winner. I don't think anyone thinks through the game more than Matt, and his dedication to Burnside and its success is unrivalled." – Jackson Latham.

"Before Matt's cricket abilities are spoken about, it is often forgotten the amount of work he puts into the club, organising admin, training, and essentially doing the stuff no one else wants to do.

"But on the field, his numbers speak for themselves, and the fact that he has been in the Metro team of the year for the last 3/4 years. He wins games with both bat and ball and is a real leader in the dressing room. It is a real credit to the club that we had someone such as Matt as the skipper, and I am sure that he has 300+ games in his sight." – Thomas Zohrab.

"Matt is the most successful skipper in the club's history, and this is why: Sets incredibly high standards for himself and his teammates, fierce competitor that leads from the front, he is incredibly resilient and cares more about this club and his teammates than you can imagine. He is also a genuine match-winner with bat & ball.

"But more importantly, I can probably tell you about so many other times where he has really stood up and shown incredible leadership off the park to his teammates, which shows how he genuinely cares about them.

"He is always inviting young students over for dinner, offering to drop them off if they don't have a ride. Will buy them a pint and stuff like that. In times of hardship, he will front up and put an arm around them." – Carl Huyser.

From this writer's point of view, I have known Matt for 15 years. He has been one of my best friends during that period, and we have played truckloads of cricket together. The people above me and the statistics have told the story on the type of player he is, so there is no need for me to echo those sentiments. However, in my opinion, the fact that Matt has been underutilised by Canterbury so far has been Burnside's gain. BWCUCC essentially has a domestic player suiting up every week, and it makes you feel ten feet tall whenever you play.

Myself and Matt during the 2021 GF.

Matt is a tremendous bloke; he is always up for a beer or a coffee and genuinely cares for everybody he plays alongside. It is also rare for the best player in the club to be so passionate about who he represents and drive initiatives for things like sponsorships and funding, as he has over the years.

Just a ripping fella who has always been a great leader and has become a tremendous father, nobody bleeds Burnside like Matt does, and it genuinely does rub off on those around him, which is half the reason we have been so incredibly successful under his leadership.

– Callum Hill.

The art of captaincy with Matt Hay - What does good captaincy look like? – click to unlock the full conversation.