It's hardly work: Furlong

Blair Furlong supported the development of McLean Park as an elite venue.

Blair Furlong is of the belief that involvement in sport is a community service.

"A lot of people are involved with the Lions and Rotary [clubs] so they do a wonderful job but I think rugby, cricket, hockey and other sports are also a wonderful contribution to the community ... ," says Furlong who today was on the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours List, among five other recipients from Hawke's Bay, to receive the Queen's Service Medal (QSM) in recognition for his contribution to cricket and rugby.

The 71-year-old former Central Districts Cricket Association CEO adheres to the edict of "good mate" Ian MacRae, a former All Black and ex-New Zealand Rugby Union president from Napier, who also didn't join community organisations such as the Lions because of the demands of sporting clubs.

Furlong, who was a board member of Sport Hawke's Bay from 1990 to 2000, says community spirit is intrinsic for any region.

But the former CD first-class cricketer didn't envisage any sort of awards, let alone a QSM, when he embarked on a sport administrative career after an envious playing one where rugby culminated not long after a tour of South Africa in 1970 on the platform of memorable Ranfurly Shield appearances for the Hawke's Bay Magpies.

"The reality is if you do something you enjoy and love it's hardly work," he says.

The CD administrator, who wasn't shy about lugging around a chilly bin during the Stags' matches at McLean Park, Napier, before he retired in June 2010, was involved in the redevelopment of Yarrow Stadium, in New Plymouth, as a multi-use facility.

"We had a cricket pitch in the middle of the stadium for a little while and then last year they took it out put in a drop-in one," he says, in what was a quest to pave the way for it to become an ICC World Cup venue.

"Rugby was the main user of the ground so they hated the pitch in the middle, like everyone else does before the drop-in pitches, so it went away, really."

He worked in cricket and was voluntarily involved with rugby as a player, coach, selector and administrator.

It was a smooth transition from playing to working when he quit rugby in 1971, when he was only 26.

He coached a Marist under-19 side before catching the administrative bug.

Sitting behind an office desk was the last thing on the mind of a young man who worked for Rothmans tobacco manufacturers while still playing. His former employers had a sport foundation so when Furlong returned from the South Africa tour in 1970 he flirted with the idea of some involvement in the institution.

"At that stage the tobacco thing started to raise its head and I wasn't going to last so I stayed in the office, if you like, rather than go to the sports foundation."

However, he relishes the travels through the foundation where he met the likes of Don "The Boot" Clarke, Sir Peter Snell and "other wonderful New Zealand people".

"It just wasn't going to be something long term so I didn't carry on with it."

He jovially reflects on a playing career akin to a school report: "You know, did okay but could have done better."

Furlong made the New Zealand cricket under-23 team but didn't go up the next step.

But he reconciles that with having annually played six months of rugby and cricket.

"I used to tell the coaches that at the end of the season I was playing the other one or close to training for it."

On reflection, that's what people like him from small places did.

Born in Dannevirke, he gravitated to Napier.

"In today's world that is almost impossible," he says, feeling if he had put in a little more effort into cricket he may have gone a little further.

"They [cricket/rugby] were enjoyable but they weren't careers but, like all the guys who were playing like I did as a young guy, they left sport to go to work.

"They had to retire from cricket and rugby to earn a living - not like today," says Furlong who in his heyday returned to playing club cricket on Saturdays for the sheer enjoyment.

Conversely, it wasn't any different in his administrative roles.

The CD Cricket role was an all-year affair but he was quite used to people asking him what he did over winter.

"It's quite an important part of an administrator's life in winter so I really didn't get involved in rugby administration as I did with cricket," says the stalwart who was heavily involved with the Saracens Rugby Club as well as the periphery of Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union with talent spotting.

"It wasn't an admin job where I went to work at 8 o'clock and came out at 5 but I did what I was asked to do and made a contribution where I could."

While CD's catchment area is expansive and offered its own challenges and rewards, he can't go past the Bay.

"The Bay has great weather, a great community and great support for rugby, cricket and hockey so it's a wonderful place to live," he says, feeling the parks teeming with children on Saturday mornings endorses that.

The grandfather of eight suspects once children become old enough to go to school themselves parental involvement starts fading.

"Of course, until you become a grandfather and then you have to go back to do it all over again," he says with a laugh.

Furlong career:

• 1988-2010: CD Cricket CEO.
• 1963-1973: CD Stags player.
• 1985-1988: Hawke's Bay Cricket Association administrator.
• 1990-2002: Sport Hawke's Bay board member.
• 1960s-1970s: Hawke's Bay Magpie.
• 1970: Toured South Africa as All Black.
• 1970s-1980s: Coached Napier High School Old Boys and Marist senior rugby teams.
• 1979-1981: Assistant coach of the Magpies.
• 1974-1981: Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union board member.
• 1973-2016: HB Saracens Rugby Club administrator.
• 2011 to today: HBRFU president.