Thorn Parkes

Thorn Parkes is an emerging batting prospect playing for Otago in New Zealand domestic cricket.

Originally from Gisborne, Parkes went to King’s College in Auckland before moving to the deep South to study at Otago University.

Prior to relocating, he’d excelled for Northern Districts at age-group level, topping the National Under-19 Tournament run charts in 2018/19 (379 runs at 75.80), having finished inside the top ten the previous summer (223 runs at 44.80).

Parkes would go on to top the National Provincial A run charts (2021/22) for his new State, Otago, culminating with Plunket Shield (first-class) selection in February 2022.

He only featured in one match during the back end of summer, but after a strong winter’s development, including an impressive 95 in a three-day intra-squad game, Parkes returned to the Volt’s Plunket Shield opener against Auckland (October 2022). He struck fifties (54, 58) in both innings, then backed up with 96 against Northern Districts in his next match to all but cement his spot in the Volt’s red-ball side.

Parkes is clearly a highly-rated prospect who seems destined for big things in the game. He has already generated national recognition including in New Zealand’s Young Emerging Players team (2019) and has been Otago A’s batter of the year twice.

The Volt’s young gun is now seeking higher honours in the game and, as part of his development, embarked on his maiden UK stint in 2023. It's fair to say he excelled for Three Bridges in the Sussex Premier League, hitting several notable hundreds. He also impressed whilst skippering the CricX XI to successful T20 wins against the Italian National side (July 2023).

Parkes is potentially available for the back-end of the 2024 season as a replacement option.