Audio Interview: Kieran Noema-Barnett - From NZ to Nevil Road
25 April 2015
Allrounder Kieran Noema-Barnett says he is relishing the opportunity to develop his game after swapping New Zealand for Nevil Road.
The 27-year-old - who took four wickets on his debut against Northants - has spent the last seven seasons playing for Central Districts in his native country but is excited by his new challenge in England.
He said: “The first few weeks have been interesting. It’s been good to meet the boys and get a few games under my belt.
“It is a lot more professional here. There are a lot of coaches around and a lot of facilities. The opportunities are here to improve and I’ve been really impressed by the facilities and everything people have been doing. There’s always an opportunity to work and plenty of people to help you with your game which is fantastic for a cricketer.”
To listen to the full interview with Kieran click below.
Kieran, who holds a British passport through his father, signed a three-year contract with Gloucestershire last October after in a couple of Second XI matches towards the end of the season.
As well as starring for Central Districts, Kieron has also played club cricket in England, Northern Ireland and Holland prior to finding a more permanent home in Bristol.
He said: “The way cricket is now you have to be adaptable. The more different situations you’ve played in, different wickets etc holds you in good stead. The county scene will be fairly new to me but I can hopefully draw on other experiences from around the world.”
Kieran says fellow Kiwi’s Hamish Marshall – who he’s been living with – and James Fuller have helped him settle into his new life in Bristol but he says the whole squad have been very welcoming.
He said: “It’s good to have familiar faces or people from the same country but the other boys have been fantastic and it hasn’t been hard to fit in. There’s a lot of advice. It is a bit different to playing in New Zealand with the Dukes ball and different natures of wickets. It’s good to have guys like that as sounding boards.”
Kieran won four trophies in his time at Central Districts including the domestic one-day competition last season. He also captained the side for two years and admits it was a tough decision to leave.
But he said he was looking forward to bringing success to Gloucestershire and giving the fans plenty to shout about this summer.
He said: “I am excited about putting the shirt on and getting into the competitive matches. The fans will see a guy who competes every ball, always tries his best and if it’s my day I will be worth watching.”
