Porteous signs first professional contract with Dolphins

Brad Porteous has put pen to paper and signed his first professional contract with Hollywoodbets Dolphins for the upcoming season.

The former Kearsney College pupil is one of the players that has graduated through the Dolphins academy and continues a long line of players who have come through the Dolphins pipeline to receive higher honours.

Porteous, an all-rounder who has impressed with the bat and the ball in his two seasons with the Dolphins, is over the moon that all his hard work has resulted in a first contract.

“It’s been a long road from academy days leading to this contract,” he said.

“It’s been my goal for such a long time now. It makes all the training sessions, fitness sessions, travelling and sacrifices worth it, so it’s extremely satisfying. The off season has been really positive for me, I’ve been in the UK to spend time with my partner and family.”

He said the time off has given him a good opportunity to get fitter, stronger and to do some technical work on his batting. He wouldn’t normally have the chance to work on it, if he was playing.

Having grown up watching the Dolphins play at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium, Porteous, 26, said it’s a dream come true to be a contracted member of the Dolphins squad.

“Since I was a child, it has been my dream to play for the Dolphins. I used to come down to Kingsmead and watch with my dad all the time, that’s where the dream started. My parents were incredibly supportive, and I can’t thank them enough for helping me get to where I am now,” he said.

“When the Dolphins offered me the deal, I didn’t hesitate. It was a simple decision for me, Durban has always been my home and the Dolphins has always been the team I’ve dreamed of playing for. I think it’s special to me because of the experiences and memories I have of Kingsmead. Watching so many games there as a young boy wishing to one day play there, to now call it my home ground is special for me.”

Heading into the new season, Porteous is eager to get back out onto the field.

The Dolphins have always been a strong franchise contending for trophies, and he believes they got a really strong squad again this season. He is determined to give it his all and play some good cricket.

Hollywoodbets Dolphins interim head coach, Quinton Friend said Porteous is an important element to the squad for a number of reasons.

“He’s an all-rounder that is highly talented in all facets of the game,” Friend said.

“From a batting perspective he plays spin well, can manipulate the ball well and is good against quick bowling. As a bowler he can swing the new ball and comes on to you a bit quicker than you might expect and he’s a brilliant fielder with a never say die attitude. He gives the squad a lot of balance and options and he’s going to be a big part of the squad going forward.”

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins begin their season with the CSA T20 Challenge starting with an away clash against the Dafabet Warriors on September 29. The first home game for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins is against the Momentum Multiply Titans on October 4.