Worcestershire CCC 2020 overseas signing Hamish Rutherford finished top of Otago Volts batting averages for the 2019-2020 Ford Trophy which reached its conclusion at the weekend.
The opening batsman scored 248 runs from his five innings in the tournament at an average of 62.00.
Rutherford finished ahead of Dean Foxcroft (50.75) and Neil Broom (47.10) and was also placed seventh in the overall averages for the six-team competition.
He had the highest strike rate of Otago’s front-line batsmen – 124.62 – and was the joint leading six hitter for his team with eight from his quintet of appearances.
Otago reached the final where they were edged out by two wickets by home side Auckland Aces.
But coach Rob Walker felt Rutherford’s forced withdrawal from the game when unbeaten on 36 and looking in superb form was crucial to the game.
The 30-year-old was hit on the helmet by Lockie Ferguson, did not pass a concussion test and was unable to further participate.
Walker said: “Obviously he was not able to carry on in the game but he seems to have pulled up okay. Hopefully, it is nothing too serious.
“He had played beautifully up until that point. If he had carried on like that, who knows how the game would have ended up?”
