All the recent cricket talk in England seems to have been about the impending Ashes series. Who Australia is sending to England, who isn't going and how much England is going to beat them by.
I don't want to spoil the English fun, because we all know that us Kiwis support New Zealand and anyone else playing Australia, but before the Ashes series starts, we have a little unfinished business with the English.
Our Test series continues where we left off in Auckland. It's only 51 days between Tests. That's just like an extended lunch break. The fact that the Black Caps have flown for 24 hours to follow the English cricket team to their home turf is neither here nor there. There is a certain desire to finish what we started in Dunedin, continued in Wellington and came so very close to completing in Auckland.
It's a shame that there are only two Tests between the Black Caps and England as I am sure we would have liked one more.
Admittedly, with the exception of Dunedin perhaps,the conditions in England will probably be quite different to those in New Zealand. New Zealand had late Summer conditions and the country was under a drought. So the pitches were hard and dry, with quick outfields. England, by contrast, is in the early part of the season and pitches are likely to be much greener with overhead conditions perhaps not quite as dry. .
But the BlackCaps won't be too concerned about the playing conditions. The winning comes from within. Brendon McCullum and his lads showed that they have the mental temerity to fight back and fight on when they need to. They showed their loyal supporters they can be aggressive, and surprised us all with their guts and determination.
Most New Zealanders will talk about that series as though we won it. We've taken the moral victory at least. You have to understand the New Zealand psyche to see where that comes from.
We are a little country with a population of 4 million or thereabouts. That is all. That's roughly the size of Wales, or possibly Ireland. Our Australian cousins amount to 23 Million and there are about 56 Million English.
We don't normally expect to win on the world stage. Except maybe at rugby, and even then we are still surprised when we do.
If you imagine a sports banquet, New Zealand would be the soup whilst England and Australia are more likely to be the roast chicken with all the trimmings. One would normally wolf down the soup as a starter to get to the main course. However, once in a while, you come across an exquisite pumpkin soup that you want to linger over and enjoy just a little longer before you put your spoon down and pick up your knife and fork.
Understated coverage suits us. Focus on those Australians. Concentrate on the roast chicken. Forget about the soup. It may just surprise you how delicious it really is.
Monday, 6 May 2013
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
The Cricket Widower
You know, I've heard talk of these Cricket Widows, but I've never actually met one. Those of us with children that play cricket may or may not be passionate about the game, but we seem to get on with the business of being the support crew. Us mums resign ourselves to years of making the Marmite sandwiches and Milo and being at the boundary rope with sunscreen for the duration. Some of us even learn to score, while others take on the coaching of the youngsters. Yes, that was me during the 2012/13 season, but that's another story.
Those mums that didn't actually like cricket before, learn to appreciate it and love it through their sporting offspring. There's no point in fighting it, so you may as well embrace it. Right?
So, Cricket Widows is not something I can talk about from personal experience. But Cricket Widowers? Well, that's definitely something I know about!
But before we get onto the long suffering Cricket Widower that I live with, let me explain why he's the widower and I am not the Widow.
For me, cricket has been part of my life since I was a young child. I played it at primary school as well as having a regular backyard cricket session with my brothers. I grew up with cricket on the radio in the heady days of Richard Hadlee, Lance Cairns and Jeremy Coney.
My lovely grandma was a big fan of the cricket and was often to be found in the stands at Eden Park. I really enjoyed spending time with her as a teenager at the cricket. In those days, I wanted to be a sports photographer, so I was at the boundary rope with all my camera gear snapping away. I took an awful lot of photos of Danny Morrison and Willie Watson from memory!
I also recall wagging school to be at Eden Park with my gorgeous Grandma. It was so easy to fake a note to the teacher to say I had to go to the physio and would be gone all day. Is it any wonder then that I took my four boys out of school on the 5th day of the Third Test to go to Eden Park? Grandma would be so proud of me!
So, cricket is a big part of my life. Here in the southern hemisphere, the season runs from about October to April. That is six months of sheer, unadulterated bliss for me, and six months of frustration for my husband! Worst for him is that I now have four partners in crime so he is totally outnumbered and outvoted!
I spend a lot of time at the cricket. I go to every home game that Auckland has in the domestic competitions. And of course, I am there waving the flag for my BlackCaps as well. On top of this, I have two sons who play club and representative cricket, and two who play just at club level. And finally, I try to get along to watch the premier club side whenever I can.
So, if you can imagine from October to April, I am tied up every Saturday and Sunday with cricket. Plus, whilst I have been without work, I have been getting to a lot of mid week matches as well. The four lads also have training throughout the week that takes up a bit more time. Not surprisingly, not much gets done around the house during this time of the year. I have been very remiss and absolutely shirked my domestic duties. The house is untidy, but I am really happy and so are the lads. The widower not so much. But he grits his teeth and gets on with it.
I was talking to an umpire during the summer who asked me how I managed to get to all the mid week domestic matches. So I explained that I wasn't working, and his response was
" Well, I hope your house is clean for your husband."
To which I said,
"No. It's not really. But I didn't want to miss the start of the day's play. It will still be there when I get home."
His jaw dropped as he sputtered
"What does your husband think about that?"
"I don't really care. I'm happy."
That shut him up and he shuffled off to find a girl to make him a cup of tea.
To be fair to the Widower, he does just let me get on with it. He moans every now and then, but I think he's come to accept that this is how it has to be. He came along to a few of the domestic T20 matches this Summer and came dangerously close to enjoying himself. He has learned a bit about the rules of the game and can even recognise most of the Black Caps these days.
He's come a long way from the day when I was watching a match on tv and he looked at it and shouted " Hey- there's two guys running! At the same time!"
Those mums that didn't actually like cricket before, learn to appreciate it and love it through their sporting offspring. There's no point in fighting it, so you may as well embrace it. Right?
So, Cricket Widows is not something I can talk about from personal experience. But Cricket Widowers? Well, that's definitely something I know about!
But before we get onto the long suffering Cricket Widower that I live with, let me explain why he's the widower and I am not the Widow.
For me, cricket has been part of my life since I was a young child. I played it at primary school as well as having a regular backyard cricket session with my brothers. I grew up with cricket on the radio in the heady days of Richard Hadlee, Lance Cairns and Jeremy Coney.
My lovely grandma was a big fan of the cricket and was often to be found in the stands at Eden Park. I really enjoyed spending time with her as a teenager at the cricket. In those days, I wanted to be a sports photographer, so I was at the boundary rope with all my camera gear snapping away. I took an awful lot of photos of Danny Morrison and Willie Watson from memory!
I also recall wagging school to be at Eden Park with my gorgeous Grandma. It was so easy to fake a note to the teacher to say I had to go to the physio and would be gone all day. Is it any wonder then that I took my four boys out of school on the 5th day of the Third Test to go to Eden Park? Grandma would be so proud of me!
My little allies enjoying the cricket at Eden Park with me.
So, cricket is a big part of my life. Here in the southern hemisphere, the season runs from about October to April. That is six months of sheer, unadulterated bliss for me, and six months of frustration for my husband! Worst for him is that I now have four partners in crime so he is totally outnumbered and outvoted!
I spend a lot of time at the cricket. I go to every home game that Auckland has in the domestic competitions. And of course, I am there waving the flag for my BlackCaps as well. On top of this, I have two sons who play club and representative cricket, and two who play just at club level. And finally, I try to get along to watch the premier club side whenever I can.
So, if you can imagine from October to April, I am tied up every Saturday and Sunday with cricket. Plus, whilst I have been without work, I have been getting to a lot of mid week matches as well. The four lads also have training throughout the week that takes up a bit more time. Not surprisingly, not much gets done around the house during this time of the year. I have been very remiss and absolutely shirked my domestic duties. The house is untidy, but I am really happy and so are the lads. The widower not so much. But he grits his teeth and gets on with it.
I was talking to an umpire during the summer who asked me how I managed to get to all the mid week domestic matches. So I explained that I wasn't working, and his response was
" Well, I hope your house is clean for your husband."
To which I said,
"No. It's not really. But I didn't want to miss the start of the day's play. It will still be there when I get home."
His jaw dropped as he sputtered
"What does your husband think about that?"
"I don't really care. I'm happy."
That shut him up and he shuffled off to find a girl to make him a cup of tea.
To be fair to the Widower, he does just let me get on with it. He moans every now and then, but I think he's come to accept that this is how it has to be. He came along to a few of the domestic T20 matches this Summer and came dangerously close to enjoying himself. He has learned a bit about the rules of the game and can even recognise most of the Black Caps these days.
He's come a long way from the day when I was watching a match on tv and he looked at it and shouted " Hey- there's two guys running! At the same time!"
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Dear BlackCaps
While you are all sequestered away in training for your
upcoming tour to the UK, I have been reflecting on the NZ Summer and thinking
about what’s to come.
First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for restoring the
hope of all us BlackCaps fans.
We started the summer knowing that our favourite team had
been rolled by South Africa for just 45 runs in only 19.2 overs. There were
many that said that we should just give up on International Tests altogether as
we were embarrassingly uncompetitive. That was in January. Fast forward to
March. What a difference 62 days made!
I think I speak for all the supporters when I say that all
we wanted was to see you put up a decent fight, and not capitulate. Honestly, a
lot of supporters expected you to lose badly to England. A bit of a Fire in
Babylon type battle would have been great, but just a good stoush was what we
needed to see.
Well, we were in for an unexpectedly good show. Top of my
mind is that opening stand in Dunedin with 2 Metre Peter and Hamish Rutherford.
Hamish had that phenomenal Test debut with 171 runs. And it was a beautiful
innings to watch- really top quality cricket shots and, even better, a display
of guts and courage. Jimmy Anderson did his best to rattle them with his
bodyline bowling. Hamish took a number of shots to the body, and we didn’t even
see him wince. He just stared back at Anderson, showing no emotion at all. The
bruises on his arm just kept getting bigger. Anderson got stroppier and
stroppier. That was 1-0 to our Hamish.
And 2 Metre Peter, bless him. I don’t think anyone expected
him to turn into the giant that he became. He was unflappable, doggedly
determined at the crease. I heard a story that when Anderson was giving him
some lip, he just eyeballed him and quietly said “look at the scoreboard mate”.
By the second test, I am sure that the BlackCaps support had
increased tenfold. All the nay sayers who were calling you the ‘BlackCraps’ had
gone quiet. All the talk at Saturday junior cricket was about whether we could
dare to hope and dream of a BlackCaps Test victory against the POMS.
It’s a shame the weather had to intervene and rescue the
English, because we had seen some real signs that the BlackCaps had fire in
their bellies and a real desire to win.
So, onto Auckland and the final test, where weather was not
going to play a role. I met some of you BlackCaps on a rest day before the Test
and I recall being surprised at how relaxed you all were. I talked about the
Test series with Kane Williamson & Dean Brownlie and I told them that you’d
already given us more hope than we believed possible. I also said that we just
wanted to see you all stand up to the English, and do us proud. At this point I
did also confess that I would do anything to follow the BlackCaps to the UK in
May so that I could be in the stands waving my BlackCaps flag and with my
‘Bucko Rocks’ banner, to which Kane laughed!
I don’t think any of us New Zealanders expected half of what
we got at the Auckland Test. Beefy Botham said it would all be over after three
days and he would be going fly fishing again with his spare time. No chance
mate.
We saw our newest hero 2 Metre Peter get back to back
centuries, and we saw the BlackCaps fighting right down to the very last over
on the 5th day. I took my
boys out of school to watch the final day of that Test because I wanted them to
have a real life lesson in courage, tenacity and sheer bloody determination.
Plus I wanted them to be there when we won!
The image of that attacking field where McCullum had seven
fielders around the batsman is something I won’t forget for a long time. It
felt like the 1980s, like we were playing Australia in the golden days of NZ
cricket! We were attacking, aggressive and on fire!
Due to some batting brilliance from Prior, we were sadly
denied the opportunity to win it. But, you BlackCaps won our hearts, and you
know what? I think we’ll keep you there for a long time to come.
Just keep on doing what you did. Go to England, heads high
and do us all proud. We’ll be watching.
Love from Ruth, on behalf of all your supporters.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Testing times
Leading into the first test against England at Dunedin, we find our BlackCaps with unwanted media attention again.
This time it's all about Dougie Bracewell. Because he's a bad sort anyway- right? Must be, with the kind of background he's come from. And he's got tattoos. Definitely something there. For sure.
We heard through the media that the neighbours have had to call noise control out before for Dougie and his flatmates. Then there's the reminders about how rugged Dougie's dad was when he was playing cricket. So, it must be in the genes.
So was he at the party? Was he drinking? How did he cut his foot? How bad was the cut? Was he doing something foolish to get his foot cut in the first place? You know what? I don't actually care. Whatever did, or didn't happen, I just hope he gets well soon so he's up for selection for the next test. In the meantime, there's an opportunity there for someone else to have a crack at the English batting line up.
On the other hand, why do we all care what did or didn't happen there? Is it because the media feeds us this stuff to sell papers? Is it because we expect our top sportsmen to behave like prefects 100% of the time. And when they don't, we as a nation are entitled to come down hard on them? Is it because we all delight in schadenfreude and are just waiting for the chance to say 'ha! I always knew it!'
And sure as eggs, situations like this fire up the TalkBack radio. Reason enough for me to not listen to TalkBack. So let's have a go at the guy online, in the papers and on the radio. And as for the smug reporting on TV One, that was a complete waste of time. There was nothing but supposition and rumour, and snide comments along the lines of 'here we go again-surprise, surprise.'
No-one in the media seemed to have any facts. In fact it appeared that without the facts, the reporting was bound to be creative. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned right there?
I just want to enjoy the tests. It's England, here at our place for goodness sake! Can't we just sit back and watch some proper cricket against our old foes, and in our own time zone at long last?
This time it's all about Dougie Bracewell. Because he's a bad sort anyway- right? Must be, with the kind of background he's come from. And he's got tattoos. Definitely something there. For sure.
We heard through the media that the neighbours have had to call noise control out before for Dougie and his flatmates. Then there's the reminders about how rugged Dougie's dad was when he was playing cricket. So, it must be in the genes.
So was he at the party? Was he drinking? How did he cut his foot? How bad was the cut? Was he doing something foolish to get his foot cut in the first place? You know what? I don't actually care. Whatever did, or didn't happen, I just hope he gets well soon so he's up for selection for the next test. In the meantime, there's an opportunity there for someone else to have a crack at the English batting line up.
On the other hand, why do we all care what did or didn't happen there? Is it because the media feeds us this stuff to sell papers? Is it because we expect our top sportsmen to behave like prefects 100% of the time. And when they don't, we as a nation are entitled to come down hard on them? Is it because we all delight in schadenfreude and are just waiting for the chance to say 'ha! I always knew it!'
And sure as eggs, situations like this fire up the TalkBack radio. Reason enough for me to not listen to TalkBack. So let's have a go at the guy online, in the papers and on the radio. And as for the smug reporting on TV One, that was a complete waste of time. There was nothing but supposition and rumour, and snide comments along the lines of 'here we go again-surprise, surprise.'
No-one in the media seemed to have any facts. In fact it appeared that without the facts, the reporting was bound to be creative. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned right there?
I just want to enjoy the tests. It's England, here at our place for goodness sake! Can't we just sit back and watch some proper cricket against our old foes, and in our own time zone at long last?
Sunday, 24 February 2013
When will they learn?
Not so long ago, I wrote a piece about my experiences as a spectator at Eden Park during the HRV Cup. The general gist was there were things that could improve, and the Eden Park Security was right up there on that list. Since that blog, I've been along to the T20 against England and the ODI. Have things improved? Have they heck. I think they've actually worsened. And the biggest kick in the guts is NZ Cricket being quoted in the NZ Herald as being "happy with the level of security".
Let's start at the beginning. It's all about Customer Experience. It's about putting on a fantastic cricket match where all different kinds of people want to come along and enjoy live sport. It's about making those people feel welcome at our place, especially those who have travelled from afar to be here. It's about having suitable facilities, and amenities to make the experience comfortable and enjoyable. And, if they're smart, it's about making those people want to put their hands back into their pockets and come back again, bringing friends and family with them.
To put this into context, I went along to the ODI at Eden Park by myself. At first I wondered how safe I would be, a single chick alone at the cricket, and walking all the way back to the car in the dark afterwards. But, it was either go alone, or stay home and watch it on tv. Watching it on tv? Big fat yawn.
In all honesty, I felt perfectly safe the entire time I was there. Yes there were drunk people to my left and to my right (hell, I was probably one of them for a while there), but nobody was abusive or offensive. Some of them started a Mexican Wave every now and then, and what fun! It's not like Eden Park used to be when I was a kid and we sat in the sun and every time a Mexican Wave went round you got pelted with debris. The debris was non existent. It was just 18000 people bonding over a shared love and enjoyment for live sport and for having a good time.
I love to see the crowd getting involved in the atmosphere- there were so many funny things to watch. These customers were clearly having a good experience. I love seeing all the different banners and always marvel at what people come up with. My favourite was 'BJ or Root?' It disappeared during the match and I heard someone say it had been confiscated by the Fun Police. The banana guys were also hilarious, as were the afro wigged dudes sitting in front of them. Then there were hippos, bunny rabbits and pigs. They must have been absolutely cooking in those outfits as it was a brilliantly fine day. Luckily for them they were evicted early from the ground by the Fun Police, so they wouldn't have cooked for too long.
Then there was the beach ball. Now, these things are known to be terribly dangerous. So dangerous you wouldn't want your kid playing with one on a beach. And as for a bunch of adults having fun with one at a live sports venue, well that's just asking for trouble. So no wonder the Fun Police had to confiscate it. Stop having fun people!! The fact that the entire stadium joined in chanting "Give us the ball back!" should have been a signal that the Customer Experience was being seriously negatively impacted. Thank goodness for Tim Southee who was fielding right in front of this area and returned the ball to the spectators. My personal hope is that he sledged the Fun Police while he was at it....
Now if the stadium was at capacity, and resources were being impacted, I could understand the zeal with which the Fun Police went about their work. But it wasn't. There were about 18000 people in the house, 15000 of them had paid to be there. You can see from the picture that there was plenty of space for everybody. And yet, I counted 10 Security Guards and 6 Police Officers in that East stand. We have heard that there were no arrests, but 87 people were removed from the stadium. Well of course there were no arrests! The Police are not going to go through with an arrest for "enjoying yourself too much" !
I've been at Eden Park during All Blacks tests when the stadium is full to bursting. Granted, a rugby match doesn't take 8 hours like an ODI, but the security is never quite so over zealous as we have been seeing during HRV, T20i and the ODI. We have the Auckland Test coming up. That is (presumably) five whole days of cricket. How will the Fun Police manage that?
I know the players want and deserve the support of the public and they love a good crowd roaring in the stadium. It inspires them to do more, hearing the support from their fans.
If NZ Cricket want to get more people along to the stadium, paying money to watch the match and support our beloved BlackCaps, then they need to think long and hard about what kind of Customer Experience they want to provide. It's up to them to make it happen.
Let's start at the beginning. It's all about Customer Experience. It's about putting on a fantastic cricket match where all different kinds of people want to come along and enjoy live sport. It's about making those people feel welcome at our place, especially those who have travelled from afar to be here. It's about having suitable facilities, and amenities to make the experience comfortable and enjoyable. And, if they're smart, it's about making those people want to put their hands back into their pockets and come back again, bringing friends and family with them.
To put this into context, I went along to the ODI at Eden Park by myself. At first I wondered how safe I would be, a single chick alone at the cricket, and walking all the way back to the car in the dark afterwards. But, it was either go alone, or stay home and watch it on tv. Watching it on tv? Big fat yawn.
In all honesty, I felt perfectly safe the entire time I was there. Yes there were drunk people to my left and to my right (hell, I was probably one of them for a while there), but nobody was abusive or offensive. Some of them started a Mexican Wave every now and then, and what fun! It's not like Eden Park used to be when I was a kid and we sat in the sun and every time a Mexican Wave went round you got pelted with debris. The debris was non existent. It was just 18000 people bonding over a shared love and enjoyment for live sport and for having a good time.
I love to see the crowd getting involved in the atmosphere- there were so many funny things to watch. These customers were clearly having a good experience. I love seeing all the different banners and always marvel at what people come up with. My favourite was 'BJ or Root?' It disappeared during the match and I heard someone say it had been confiscated by the Fun Police. The banana guys were also hilarious, as were the afro wigged dudes sitting in front of them. Then there were hippos, bunny rabbits and pigs. They must have been absolutely cooking in those outfits as it was a brilliantly fine day. Luckily for them they were evicted early from the ground by the Fun Police, so they wouldn't have cooked for too long.
Then there was the beach ball. Now, these things are known to be terribly dangerous. So dangerous you wouldn't want your kid playing with one on a beach. And as for a bunch of adults having fun with one at a live sports venue, well that's just asking for trouble. So no wonder the Fun Police had to confiscate it. Stop having fun people!! The fact that the entire stadium joined in chanting "Give us the ball back!" should have been a signal that the Customer Experience was being seriously negatively impacted. Thank goodness for Tim Southee who was fielding right in front of this area and returned the ball to the spectators. My personal hope is that he sledged the Fun Police while he was at it....
Now if the stadium was at capacity, and resources were being impacted, I could understand the zeal with which the Fun Police went about their work. But it wasn't. There were about 18000 people in the house, 15000 of them had paid to be there. You can see from the picture that there was plenty of space for everybody. And yet, I counted 10 Security Guards and 6 Police Officers in that East stand. We have heard that there were no arrests, but 87 people were removed from the stadium. Well of course there were no arrests! The Police are not going to go through with an arrest for "enjoying yourself too much" !
I've been at Eden Park during All Blacks tests when the stadium is full to bursting. Granted, a rugby match doesn't take 8 hours like an ODI, but the security is never quite so over zealous as we have been seeing during HRV, T20i and the ODI. We have the Auckland Test coming up. That is (presumably) five whole days of cricket. How will the Fun Police manage that?
I know the players want and deserve the support of the public and they love a good crowd roaring in the stadium. It inspires them to do more, hearing the support from their fans.
If NZ Cricket want to get more people along to the stadium, paying money to watch the match and support our beloved BlackCaps, then they need to think long and hard about what kind of Customer Experience they want to provide. It's up to them to make it happen.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Friday nights under lights- it's about Customer Experience.
So NZ Cricket had this great idea of bringing T20 cricket to the people by creating a Friday night competition so more people could get along and get involved. For Auckland that meant going along to the hallowed turf of Eden Park, home of the Rugby World Cup 2011. The stadium that holds 45,000 baying All Blacks fans during a Bledisloe Test. The same stadium that is to host the Auckland Aces in their domestic T20 competition.
I've been to both games under lights at Eden Park so far, because I never thought about not going. Eden Park is certainly a beautiful setting on a sultry summers evening as the sun sets behind the West Stand. But if it's atmosphere you're looking for, there's a diluted amount, and it doesn't compare to the good old days at Colin Maiden. The crowds have been around the 5000 mark for the two games. Driven there no doubt by Auckland Cricket's policy of handing out free match family passes to anyone and everyone who looks like they might take a passing interest. You can understand their motive. This is about bums on seats, not about revenue.
When you consider that T20 is perfect for families, the shorter game, lots of action, a chance for the kids to see their sporting heroes up close, and maybe even get a photo with them, then the domestic T20 should have a great future. It should also be doing great things for grassroots cricket in NZ with all the junior cricketers taking along their own bat and ball , keen to have a bash themselves before meeting their heroes at the end.
Unfortunately, the reality is that the kids have to sit down during the match. They can't even have too much fun waving to the cameras at the front of the West Stadium, lest the Eden park bouncers send them back to their seats for enjoying themselves. That's what I witnessed last Friday night.
Granted, they can go and play on the Outer Oval until 0830pm. But this only works for older kids. Not all parents would be happy with their young kids finding their way to and from their seats in the main stadium and across to the Outer Oval.
And as for meeting their heroes and having a photo with them at the end of the match. Forget it.
Last season, there were always autograph bats, hats, 4 & 6 signs being handed out and the kids all lined up at the end of the game to meet the teams who were set up at tables, ready to sign anything and smile for anyone. My boys were thrilled to meet players from all teams who graciously posed for pictures with them.
Now, if you're lucky, a few players may come out to the Western end of the South Stand at the end of the match. But you stay in the stand, the players stay in the Boundary area. Lest the Eden Park bouncers catch you trying to get too close. We even got told it was time to go home by the bouncers at the last match. The players were still signing autographs just below us, yet we were hurried on our way.
NZ Cricket could learn from the NZRFU. We went to ITM cup games at Eden Park where every child was handed a goody bag full of posters, flags, stickers and the like. Then at the end of the match, they opened up a small section of roped off grass where the kids could line up and have photos and autographs with their rugby heroes. And that gesture made the kids want to keep coming back for more ITM Cup games.
I don't think any of this is the players fault. They have to go where they are told, and they do their best with what they are given. It's about someone at New Zealand Cricket taking a long hard look at the fundamentals. Who are they trying to attract to the game, and what facilities should they provide for them? In its basic form, it's about Customer Experience. Funnily enough that's the stuff I earn my living consulting in. What is the desired Customer Experience, what expectations do the customers have, and how could you meet or exceed those expectations? It's not rocket science.
So the third HRV Cup match is on this Friday under lights at Eden Park. We will be there of course. But it does feel like having takeaway fish and chips rather than the meal from Depot that I really wanted. I wouldn't want to go through that every week, but once now and again it's ok.
Look out for me, I'll be there waving a banner and cheering for the Aces, and probably giving those Eden Park bouncers something to think about!
Friday Night Under Lights at Eden Park
When you consider that T20 is perfect for families, the shorter game, lots of action, a chance for the kids to see their sporting heroes up close, and maybe even get a photo with them, then the domestic T20 should have a great future. It should also be doing great things for grassroots cricket in NZ with all the junior cricketers taking along their own bat and ball , keen to have a bash themselves before meeting their heroes at the end.
Unfortunately, the reality is that the kids have to sit down during the match. They can't even have too much fun waving to the cameras at the front of the West Stadium, lest the Eden park bouncers send them back to their seats for enjoying themselves. That's what I witnessed last Friday night.
Granted, they can go and play on the Outer Oval until 0830pm. But this only works for older kids. Not all parents would be happy with their young kids finding their way to and from their seats in the main stadium and across to the Outer Oval.
And as for meeting their heroes and having a photo with them at the end of the match. Forget it.
Last season, there were always autograph bats, hats, 4 & 6 signs being handed out and the kids all lined up at the end of the game to meet the teams who were set up at tables, ready to sign anything and smile for anyone. My boys were thrilled to meet players from all teams who graciously posed for pictures with them.
The Good Old Days of HRV Cup
Now, if you're lucky, a few players may come out to the Western end of the South Stand at the end of the match. But you stay in the stand, the players stay in the Boundary area. Lest the Eden Park bouncers catch you trying to get too close. We even got told it was time to go home by the bouncers at the last match. The players were still signing autographs just below us, yet we were hurried on our way.
NZ Cricket could learn from the NZRFU. We went to ITM cup games at Eden Park where every child was handed a goody bag full of posters, flags, stickers and the like. Then at the end of the match, they opened up a small section of roped off grass where the kids could line up and have photos and autographs with their rugby heroes. And that gesture made the kids want to keep coming back for more ITM Cup games.
I don't think any of this is the players fault. They have to go where they are told, and they do their best with what they are given. It's about someone at New Zealand Cricket taking a long hard look at the fundamentals. Who are they trying to attract to the game, and what facilities should they provide for them? In its basic form, it's about Customer Experience. Funnily enough that's the stuff I earn my living consulting in. What is the desired Customer Experience, what expectations do the customers have, and how could you meet or exceed those expectations? It's not rocket science.
So the third HRV Cup match is on this Friday under lights at Eden Park. We will be there of course. But it does feel like having takeaway fish and chips rather than the meal from Depot that I really wanted. I wouldn't want to go through that every week, but once now and again it's ok.
Look out for me, I'll be there waving a banner and cheering for the Aces, and probably giving those Eden Park bouncers something to think about!
Thursday, 29 November 2012
The Munro Show- 28 November 2012
Day three of the Plunket Shield clash between Auckland and Wellington turned into something of a record breaker. By all accounts the wicket was pretty flat, with the bowlers unable to get much out of it. The runs certainly piled on, with the Aces ending up on 658/9 declared.
It wasn't looking quite so healthy on day two, when the Aces made plenty of starts, but no-one was able to carry on, and the wickets kept falling. At one stage they were 174/5, and looking quite precarious. That was until Cachopa and Munro headed out to the middle.
Cachopa batted for 6 hours to bring up his 166. I did wonder if he had read MD Crowe's piece about being able there being nothing finer than 6 hours out in the middle playing bat on ball. This was good cricket too. No smash and dash T20 styles. There was plenty of straight bat, and "showing the makers mark" Windies style. It's not a bad achievement to get your maiden first classs century with such finesse!
And as for Mr Munro, you had to be there to fully appreciate the demolition job he did on the Wellington bowling attack. His 269* came off just 252 deliveries. There were 27 4s and 14 6s. Now I know I don't get out much, but I have never seen anything like it! It wasn't irresponsible batting either, for the most part. I can remember the good old days as a kid watching Lance Cairns belligerently swinging Excalibur at the Aussies, and this did remind me of those days. And guess who was sitting in the stands watching too!
Going into lunch, Munro was sitting on 198. After lunch, those last two runs seemed to take forever to get. There was a lot of blocking and clear shouts of NO on the singles. It looked like the entire Auckland team were holding their breath and just willing him on. He seemed very determined to not give away his wicket cheaply at this point, and rightly so. However, once he crossed the 200 line, there was a different batsman out there. The next ball was aggressively smashed onto Sandringham Road for 6, narrowly missing a delivery truck. Then the next one was dispatched into the back of the West Stand at the number one ground. Gillespie and Elliott were the bowlers given the task of ending the Munro show at this time. Despite them throwing everything they had at it, nothing seemed to work. He piled on another 69 runs in much the same fashion until Auckand declared.
Even though I didn't get to see the end of the day's play, when Munro finished up unbeaten on 269, I loved the end of the second session when they came off for lunch. All the Aces were there shaking hands to congratulate Cachopa the younger and also Munro. You really get the feeling they are there for each other, and have got each other's backs. This Auckland side are a pretty tight unit, and they look like they are going to be hard to break.
It wasn't looking quite so healthy on day two, when the Aces made plenty of starts, but no-one was able to carry on, and the wickets kept falling. At one stage they were 174/5, and looking quite precarious. That was until Cachopa and Munro headed out to the middle.
Cachopa batted for 6 hours to bring up his 166. I did wonder if he had read MD Crowe's piece about being able there being nothing finer than 6 hours out in the middle playing bat on ball. This was good cricket too. No smash and dash T20 styles. There was plenty of straight bat, and "showing the makers mark" Windies style. It's not a bad achievement to get your maiden first classs century with such finesse!
And as for Mr Munro, you had to be there to fully appreciate the demolition job he did on the Wellington bowling attack. His 269* came off just 252 deliveries. There were 27 4s and 14 6s. Now I know I don't get out much, but I have never seen anything like it! It wasn't irresponsible batting either, for the most part. I can remember the good old days as a kid watching Lance Cairns belligerently swinging Excalibur at the Aussies, and this did remind me of those days. And guess who was sitting in the stands watching too!
Going into lunch, Munro was sitting on 198. After lunch, those last two runs seemed to take forever to get. There was a lot of blocking and clear shouts of NO on the singles. It looked like the entire Auckland team were holding their breath and just willing him on. He seemed very determined to not give away his wicket cheaply at this point, and rightly so. However, once he crossed the 200 line, there was a different batsman out there. The next ball was aggressively smashed onto Sandringham Road for 6, narrowly missing a delivery truck. Then the next one was dispatched into the back of the West Stand at the number one ground. Gillespie and Elliott were the bowlers given the task of ending the Munro show at this time. Despite them throwing everything they had at it, nothing seemed to work. He piled on another 69 runs in much the same fashion until Auckand declared.
Even though I didn't get to see the end of the day's play, when Munro finished up unbeaten on 269, I loved the end of the second session when they came off for lunch. All the Aces were there shaking hands to congratulate Cachopa the younger and also Munro. You really get the feeling they are there for each other, and have got each other's backs. This Auckland side are a pretty tight unit, and they look like they are going to be hard to break.
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