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Kiwi Cricket Kōrero host and writer Vincent Jones spoke to Makayla Templeton toward the back end of the 2022–23 season for his blog, Edged and Gone (originally written 13/4/23)
Templeton on her HBJ Debut for Auckland (Photo — Auckland Cricket)
Player Profile Age: 20 Teams: Auckland, Northern Districts Runs: 161 (List A), 88 (T20) Wickets: 16 (List A), 7 (T20)
Makayla Templeton currently plays for the Auckland Hearts and also played for the Northern Districts side between 2019–2021. Templeton grew up in Northland, where players such as New Zealand test captain, Tim Southee also grew up. She also wants to show the people of Tai Tokerau, that there is a path for younger girls to get into cricket and make their way into an ND side. With Northland being included in the Northern Districts region, this can make it secluded and sometimes be forgotten about. Templeton tells Edged and Gone, that getting paid is great, but the major change that she has loved about the game growing is the opportunity to show her skills on TV, along with more publicity is the main aspect of growth since when she started playing cricket.
In five years’ time, she hopes to see herself playing at higher honours, but also trying to balance her work, cricket and family life. Templeton hopes that she can eventually play overseas in tournaments like the Big Bash and the recently formed WPL in India. She reckons the best of playing cricket is the friendships that you make and getting support from all the staff and players to help you on your journey to becoming the best that you can be. When this interview was done, she was yet to make her debut for Auckland, but she did describe her role as a middle-order bat and someone who bowls through the middle overs to contain and take wickets. Currently, she prefers to bowl especially on a turning wicket. She likes to take all the opportunities that she can by working hard when no one is watching and taking the chances that she gets in the New Zealand Development side. To be able to achieve this she knows that having a good cricket-to-life balance is crucial.
Templeton (R) with Elizabeth Buchanan (L) on their Auckland Hearts Super Smash Debuts (Photo — Auckland Cricket)
Throughout her career, Templeton credits her Dad who has always been the biggest supporter, and also mentions how her brother got her into playing cricket as she used to watch him play and decided that she wanted to join him in the side when she was younger. She credits her coach, Karl Treiber who played 27 first-class matches for Northern Districts, and 15 List A games as a big inspiration in her career, who inspired her to keep working at it despite the adversity she has faced.
Thank you very much Makayla for your time, and I wish you the best for the future.
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