The cream of the Southern Premier League’s overseas talent – 2000-2019

Here, The News highlights the cream of the foreign crop ...

Luke Ronchi

The man who went on to play ODIs for both Australia and New Zealand scored 630 SPL runs for New Forest club Bashley in 2000. Two years later, he was the SPL’s leading runscorer with 704 for the same club.

As well as his international commitments, Ronchi also played for Somerset and Leicestershire in the T20 Blast.

Manzoor Elahi

After playing six Tests for Pakistan between 1984-1995, the 37-year-old scored 417 runs for Salisbury-based South Wilts in 2000.

Stephen Cook

The son of former Hampshire coach Jimmy Cook scored 725 runs for Portsmouth in the second tier of SPL cricket in 2001.

He hit 163 against Old Basing and 117 against Sparsholt, just missing out a third ton when Hambledon came to St Helen’s.

With the likes of ex-Hampshire trio Raj Maru, Lee Savident and Lawrie Prittipaul also in the side, Portsmouth stormed to the title with an 88-point margin to spare.

Cook went on to play 11 Tests for South Africa and in October 2009 compiled the highest score in the history of South African first class cricket - 390 for Lions against the Warriors.

Mackie Hobson

The South African took 36 wickets for Havant in 2002 - the second highest in the division.

He had previously played for Transvaal alongside the likes of ex-Hampshire wicket-keeper Nic Pothas, former England batsman Neil Fairbrother and Jimmy Cook. Hobson later played for Hambledon as well.

Neal Parlane

Though he never played international cricket, the Kiwi batsman rewrote the SPL record books in his first season with BAT in 2003. In just 15 innings, he compiled 1,074 runs at 107.40 to break the Southern League seasonal record of 1,015 set by Hampshire legend Robin Smith when he played for Trojans in 1982.

Parlane belted 166 not out against Andover, 150 and 110 against South Wilts and 117 against Calmore. Returning the following year, Parlane scored 176 not out for BAT against the Hampshire Academy

Adam Voges

The Australian batsman struck 512 SPL runs for Bournemouth in 2003.

Aged 35, he would make his Test debut against the West Indies in January 2015 - hitting 130 not out in his first innings.

Later that year, in a home series against the Windies, Voges struck 269 not out and 106 not out. In his next innings, against New Zealand, he hit 239.

Chris Rogers

The Australian scored 575 runs for South Wilts from 13 SPL innings in 2005.

Mid-season, he was signed by Leicestershire and in his second (and last) game for the county, playing against the touring Australians, he scored 209 against an attack comprising Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, Michael Kasprowicz and Stuart MacGill.

Returning to South Wilts, he was then dismissed for just six against Liphook & Ripsley!

Rogers went to play 25 Tests for his country.

Simon Cook

Having played two Tests for Australia in the late 1990s, Cook appeared for Lymington in 2009, taking 33 wickets - the second highest in the SPL top flight.

Glenn Maxwell

On June 12, 2012, Maxwell claimed 7-33 at Havant Park as South Wilts romped to an SPL victory.

Just 12 days later the big-hitting Australian all-rounder smashed 66 off just 32 balls in his third T20 match for Hampshire at Canterbury, and five days after that belted 60 off 24 balls at Chelmsford.

In eight SPL matches that summer, he bagged 25 wickets and scored 204 runs in eight games. He would go on to score centuries for Australia in all three formats - Test, ODI and T20I - and in 2016 would hit top spot in the ICC T20 international all-rounders list

Travis Head

In 2013, the Australian scored a SPL highest 733 runs for Ventnor at 61.08.

Three years later he blasted 175 on his Yorkshire List A debut against Leicestershire in the Royal London Cup.

And in January 2017 he helped David Warner put on 284 for the first wicket in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Adelaide. Warner belted 179 and Head 128 - the latter’s maiden

Ryan Burl

The Zimbabwean all-rounder scored 411 SPL runs for Sarisbury in 2013 and took 22 wickets.

Two years later, he scored 506 runs and claimed 20 wickets.

Burl went on to play one Test in 2017, as well as 18 ODIs and 16 T20Is.

Logan Van Beek

The Dutchman, who has played limited overs international cricket for his country, scored 556 runs and took 22 wickets for Winchester-based St Cross in 2017. Two years later he was turning out for Derbyshire, helping the county reach the T20 Blast finals day for the first time.

Van Beek’s most memorable international appearance for the Netherlands came in the 2014 T20 World Cup, when he bagged 3-9 – including the wickets of Jos Buttler and Ravi Bopara – as England were humiliated for just 88 to lose by 45 runs.

Chamika Karunaratne

The Sri Lankan scored 449 runs and took 16 wickets for Andover in 2017, and went on to make his Test debut against Australia at Canberra in February 2019.

It was one to forget - he took 1-130 as the hosts rattled up 534-5 with Travis Head hitting an unbeaten 161 after opener Joe Burns struck 180. Head also scored an unbeaten 59 in the second innings and Karunaratne has not been picked again for his country since.