13 May 2024
True Allrounder Retires from Canterbury Magicians
Canterbury Magicians all-rounder Jacinta Savage has made the decision to retire from first-class cricket to focus on her professional career and life away from the game.
Debuting in 2011 at the age of 16 Savage started out as a bowling allrounder before taking up the gloves in the 2014/15 season and then going full circle to finish as an established bowling allrounder. In total she represented the Red & Black 172 times over 13 seasons.
Additional to her time in the Canterbury colours, Savage played 12 other non List A or T20 ‘ Domestic’ games including games for the New Zealand Women’s Development XI.
In this time Savage claimed 40 List A wickets with a best of 6-18 along with 39 wickets in the Super Smash competition with a best of 4-26. With the bat she scored 1,713 runs across both formats with a high score of 61 and in the field took 55 catches and 11 stumpings.
When asked about her memories, Savage said “It has been an incredible privilege to represent this amazing team for the last 13 years. I want to express my gratitude to my family for their unwavering support and love throughout this journey. I also want to thank my teammates, coaches and all the support staff who have been there with me every step of the way. The memories that we have made together will forever hold a special place in my heart.”
Rhys Morgan, Canterbury Magicians coach said “Jacinta has made a fantastic contribution to the Magicians over a number of years. To start her career as a wicket keeper and then turn herself into an all rounder who opened the bowling shows not just her versatility, but also the talent for the game that she possessed.”
During Savage’s career the Magicians saw considerable success, winning the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in 2012/13, 2016/17, 2020/21 along with Super Smash T20 titles in 2011/12, 2015/16, 2020/21 and 2022/23.
Savage leaves an indelible mark on the Magicians and will remembered as an admired teammate and opponent always there for the players alongside her and a true allrounder of the game.