Driving force in women’s cricket retires

Champion of cricket for women: Mel Knight announced at the weekend that she was retiring from playing and coaching cricket. File picture by Paul Rickard

For 20 years, Mel Knight has been a driving force for cricket here. Her announcement that she would retire from playing and coaching came as a bolt from the blue.

It came the day after Horouta Te Waka’s six-wicket Senior B semifinal loss to eventual champions the Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps.

Many of Knight’s former teammates and players spoke of the impact and scope of her contribution to the game in Gisborne.

Jordy Hardacre is one of 15 Poverty Bay age-group cricketers to have made various Northern Districts (ND) teams under Knight’s mentorship.

“It’s the end of an era,” Hardacre said.

“In my eyes, Mel, with (former Poverty Bay community cricket co-ordinator) David McDonald, has been the backbone of the game here, encouraging and developing our youngsters.

“She’s never wavered in her commitment to the game and it was always a pleasure to play with her.”

Lucy McHugh, daughter of former Poverty Bay men’s captain Patrick McHugh, recalls the team spirit and humour of teams coached by Knight, in contrast to the steely resolve familiar to opponents.

“She was happy both to give and take banter, while being energetic,” she said.

McDonald worked with Knight to help girls progress from Milo Have-a-Go Cricket and open days to national tourney level.

McDonald worked for the PBCA for 18 years. His daughter Tessa — like Knight’s daughter Kayley — played cricket but was also passionate about other sports.

“Mel was the captain of the women’s team and played a big part in getting the women’s game under way here,” David McDonald said.

“We beat Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Counties-Manukau, Waikato Valley, Northland — all of the five other district associations in our major association, ND. We won the competition three years in a row.

“No one else has put as much into the women’s game here as she has — people respect her for that. In 2019, Mel created the Tairawhiti Women’s Cricket Club as a vehicle for the girls, so they’d have the wheels to play.

“Mel was really good with kids, in schools and at field days.”

A fine all-rounder, Knight played 35 games for the Northern Spirit women’s team as an off-spinner and scored unbeaten centuries from No.3 in SuperCity competition wins for Poverty Bay.

Those tons against Palmerston North (in 2017) and Hawke’s Bay (2018) at Cornwall Park in Hastings were highlights of a playing career that (upon a prompt from McDonald) began in earnest 22 years ago.

Knight had played cricket for Central School at the Oval and at Gisborne Girls’ High School, linking up with the Old Boys Rugby Presidents, Ngatapa, Pirates and Horouta clubs after her return to the game.

The first team she coached was the Central second 11 in 1997. She took Makaraka School teams from 2011 and the Go Girls programme from 2012.

She coached the Gisborne Girls’ High School first 11 to one loss and four straight wins as they became ND T20 champions at Counties-Manukau in 2021, only for Covid-19 to later scuttle the Gillette Venus Cup National Tournament.

She has also served as Poverty Bay women’s development officer and Poverty Bay operations manager between former Otago Volts assistant coach Mohit Rao and ND A rep Nicholas Hendrie.

Knight, 44, as a forward (with YMP) won the Poverty Bay women’s hockey championship last year and in 2021. She is a Level 3 cricket umpire and has, as a FIFA Grade 1 football referee, blown her whistle in Papua New Guinea. In football, she could play in and out of goal and played with Kayley in the local Gisborne United club side. Mel retired from playing football last year: she and husband Alan coached both Kayley and son Jarred, 17, in the roundball code.

“Mum always told us that we could stop playing a particular sport or sport altogether whenever we wanted to,” said Kayley, 19, one of two first-class cricketers (Tayla Hollis was the other) coached by Knight to have made ND.

“Sport was a big thing in our house. Year-round, Jarred, Mum, Dad and I would train and play during the week, and that meant endless trips from Patutahi until we moved into town.

“We watched cricket, football and rugby on TV — I associated sport with family time spent playing competitive backyard cricket or penalty shoot-outs for footy.

“My love of cricket came from Mum and Dad, Mum inspiring me to play at a high level from a young age. I inherited her old kit and wore it proudly all the time. I’d go to every training with her and every game (often super early, as we had to set things up). It developed a passion in me.”

Moana McLelland could give the ball a pasting but Grace Kuil, 17, a year ago became the first Knight-coached TWCC batsman to score a century. Kuil hit two sixes and 19 fours in her 105 against the Gisborne Boys’ High School Admiralty in Round 2 of last season’s T20 Challenge Cup at Nelson Park.

Kuil said: “Every one of us is very grateful to Mel for coaching girls’ cricket for over a decade. She does it free of charge — out of goodwill, in her own time — to keep girls involved.

“Batting-wise, she taught me stress-relief techniques: to relax and focus on the ball. That, with hours of practice, helped me to improve my performance, as did watching her play every Saturday.

“She’s helped me through everything in and out of cricket.”

Mel Knight knows that coaching girls’ teams requires an approach different from that required for boys’ teams.

“Girls are social, and want to have fun with friends, so the actual cricket comes second to having a good time and enjoying a road trip (it’s not as if we get many home games),” she said.

“Practices have to have some fun to them, but girls like to learn new skills too, because the game’s more enjoyable when you can compete to win.

“It’s most important to find each player’s strengths, to work with them how they want to, and how they learn best — while keeping it fun. You’ve got to get to know them as people, not just as cricketers.

“We need more girl-specific programmes like Go Girls — which worked brilliantly — and which had the schools’ support. We also need more players and more teams so that girls can play other girls and enjoy their cricket experience.

“The Go Girls 2012 festival had over 200 participants, Year 4 to Year 8 girls, in one day at the Harry Barker Reserve. From 2015 to 2018, we had a girls-only Friday night competition, then a mini Northern Premier League, at Gisborne Intermediate School and had two girls’ rep teams in different age-groups.

“I recall that one season over 40 females played cricket of some sort. I’ve coached 15 Poverty Bay girls who went on to play for ND: Reiha McClelland, Lucy McHugh, Nicole Torrie, Tayla Hollis, Phoebe Taylor, Jayxena Piwari, Courtney Hayes, Emma Hayes, Kayley Knight, Rubi Perano, Erana Hogarth, Bayleigh Colbert, Mia Reeves, Paige Bentley and Grace Levy.

“The trips are fun — I’ll miss the games of Werewolves — but I’ll get to sleep in on Saturdays and have weekends free over summer. I’ll be able to go and watch (New Zealand under-19 cricket representative) Kayley play.

“I’m not sure what I’ll miss the most, probably just the girls in general: seeing them grow as cricketers, and as people.

“I hope someone steps up for the younger girls. Four of the older players have exams and are finishing school; my last coaching duty will be to the senior secondary girls at the end of the year if we can muster a team.

“It’s been a great ride with plenty of memorable moments — the number of times we were runners-up at tournaments was annoying, but we got wins eventually. I met some really cool kids along the way and hopefully I’ve made a positive impact on a few of them. It’s not always just about cricket.

“It’s always a good feeling to give back to the game that gave you so much.

“It’s been a privilege to get to know so many players, some I’ve coached since they were eight or nine years old and now they’re off at university, but some still come and catch up over the summer — the kids you went the extra mile for,  picked up from the other side of town so they could play, got gear for — seeing what it meant to them. I’ve learned a lot of patience, and it’s made me aware that cricket is just a game and that people are always more important — when you lose a couple of players along the way, it makes that even more important to remember.

“My first secondary tournament as coach was a real career highlight — Lucy McHugh, Danielle Craille and Nicole Torrie were the seniors, and it was the first year of youngsters Tayla (Hollis), twins Emma and Courtney (Hayes), Phoebe (Taylor), Jayxena (Piwari) and Reiha (McClelland). It was 2012 I think, in Rotorua.

“We barely played because of the rain.

“At one point, we had five Poverty Bay girls in the ND under-15 side together — Kayley (Knight), Rubi (Perano), Bayleigh (Colbert), Erana (Hogarth) and Paige (Bentley).

“Without someone who can invest time and energy to drive things and follow through — build enthusiasm — things die off. Gis Int are lucky to have Alicia Lasenby driving girls’ cricket; that’s where TWCC players are coming from. But they’re new to the game and it takes a lot of work to become a competent, skilled player.”

In Round 6 of this season’s 30-over Senior B grade competition, Knight took 1-9 from four overs and made 26 at first drop in Te Waka’s seven-wicket win against defending champions Rawhiti Legal Old Boys Rugby. In Round 11, she made 21 and took 2-12 from four overs against the same opposition.

Three weeks later, she took 3-16 from six overs against the Gisborne Boys’ High School second 11, and on March 11, made 52 not out and took 3-10 from six overs against Campion College.

She took those three-for bags on the representative wicket and bowed out against Ngatapa. Charles Morrison of Ngatapa put Horouta in to bat, No.3 Knight made one run off 14 balls before being caught by Chris Richardson at mid-on off the bowling of medium-pacer Anish Shivdikar.

She bowled Isaac Thomas (41, third man to bat), taking 1-16 from 3.4 overs. Richardson, batting at No.6, hit a pull-shot in front of square leg for four and the win off her bowling.

Her Horouta wicketkeeper of the past three seasons, Ryan Horsfield, can testify to that last short ball being a rarity.

“Skip was accurate with her channels and areas, plus the odd armball,” said ND Maori representative Horsfield.

“She gave our bowlers a benchmark. And she almost always bowled them before herself.”

Knight is held in equally high esteem by the captains of teams she played against, such as Ollie Needham, of High School Old Boys Presidents, and Ryan West, of Hope Cup-winning champions Ngatapa.

West said: “Mel was supportive of younger players and gave them a chance. She, herself, was a gritty batter and handy offie.”

Needham said: “I have tremendous admiration and respect for the time and effort Mel put into local cricket over the years, especially with the TWCC. She was a fierce competitor on the field, and one who had better skills and temperament than most of those she played against.

“She was an astute tactician able to bring diverse groups of players together, as evidenced by Horouta’s success — and consistency — during her time at the helm.

“Mel will be a loss but I wish her all the best for her next challenge and a well-deserved break.

“I hope she’ll remain involved with cricket in some form as the development of the women’s game has come to depend on her.”

Knight gave answer in short order: “I’ll play one game a year, for the Brough-Thompson Trophy (Horouta versus Cornwall) when it’s played in Gisborne. The only way I’ll consider coming out of retirement other than that will be if they bring back women’s district cricket.

“I would consider playing that only.”