Wellington Blaze and former WHITE FERNS allrounder Lucy Doolan has announced her retirement from cricket, bringing to an end a career spanning more than 14 years.
An opening batsman and off-spinner, Doolan debuted for Wellington Blaze straight out of Hutt Valley High School in 2004, at 18.
She went on to make 160 appearances for Wellington Blaze, scoring 3,510 runs and taking 172 wickets and winning three T20 titles, including this season's Burger King Super Smash.
Doolan celebrates winning the 2009 national T20 title with the Blaze
“The body doesn’t quite bounce back like it used to!" Doolan said of her decision to hang up her cap. "And I think the plan was always to come back and play a couple more years after a few years off, and then call it a day. I’m leaving the girls in a pretty good place going forward. There’s so much young, exciting talent coming through our team, so happy days!”
Doolan made her debut for the WHITE FERNS in 2008 in an ODI against England and went on to appear 73 times, playing 40 ODIs and 33 T20s, racking up 868 runs and 60 wickets.
She appeared at five world events for the WHITE FERNS including the 2008/09 and 2012/13 one-day ICC Women's World Cups, as well as the 2009, 2010 and 2012/13 T20 Worlds.
Doolan also enjoyed stints playing cricket overseas with South Australia, as well as Essex and Nottinghamshire in England. Wellington Blaze captain Liz Perry praised Doolan’s unassuming and relaxed approach to cricket.
“Lucy doesn’t play the game for recognition or praise, she plays it because she’s with her mates and genuinely enjoys the game. She’s a classical player – one for the ages. She controls the game with bat and ball and she times the ball better than anyone, and her quality off-spin always cause trouble for batters.
"Lucy’s always passionate about helping the next generation and she always makes players feel welcome. That has now transpired into her love of coaching and I don’t think we have seen the last of her yet.”
LUCY DOOLAN
40 ODIs for the WHITE FERNS (2008-2013): 674 runs, 1 x 50, 32 wickets
33 T20is for the WHITE FERNS (2008-2013): 194 runs, 28 wickets
98 List A matches for Wellington Blaze: 2394 runs, 2 x 100, 14 x 50; 119 wickets, 1 x 5-wicket bag
62 T20s for Wellington Blaze: 1315 runs, 6 x 50, 60 wickets, 2 x 4 wickets in an innings
