Cachopa bowled over by success

Only last week he came under scrutiny from a Taranaki detractor in Hawke's Bay Today as an "outsider" denying a Central Districts player a berth in the Stags line-up.
But many would argue who isn't an outsider when you start browsing through the major association cricket players' lists around the country?
However, one thing no one can argue is CD allrounder Carl Cachopa is a man who has earned the right to be playing at the elite level in the district.
Not surprisingly, the 24-year-old Aucklander was named the Hawke's Bay player of the 2010-11 season, picking up the Harry Findlay Cup during the end-of-season awards last Friday night at Nelson Park, Napier.
The Cornwall Cricket Club member also etched his name on the Hanlon Cup, for premier bowling (best average) of 41 at 11.41 runs an over.
"I'm very appreciative of it and I've thoroughly enjoyed my season there and I hope to continue that next season," Cachopa said yesterday soon after wishing his CD temmates all the best in their final Plunket Shield match starting yesterday against the Auckland Aces at Nelson Park.
"I also wished my brother [Brad Cachopa, 22] good luck too but I'm hoping CD will win," he said, mindful the CD silverware cabinet is bare this summer after the Aces won the HRV Cup Twenty20 and one-day championships.
Cachopa said while the Stags had had a lean patch lately in the first-class competition, they still had a lot to play for in the remaining three days to do the region proud.
Cornwall club director of cricket David Black said Cachopa was "an unassuming sort of guy" who had played 10 games for the Ace.
Cachopa made his debut for the Aces as an 18-year-old, facing 123 deliveries, finding the boundary just once for 17 runs before falling fell to a misjudged defensive shot.
The Takapuna club member was born in South Africa, becoming a Free State junior representative before his family shifted to Auckland in 2002 from Bloemfontein.
Cachopa was in the Westlake Boys High first XI who won a second successive Auckland schools title in the 2003-04 season.
His parents - Joe, of Portuguese descent and once a top club soccer player in South Africa, and Margie, whose sport was gymnastics - taught at the school.
Brad Cachopa was a New Zealand under-17 representative and Craig played first-class cricket too.
Black said Carl Cachopa coached the juniors at the club and showed great discipline.
"I've never had any problems with Carl. He has no ego. If I had 11 players like him we'd have a great team."
Napier Technical Old Boys, predictably, took the lion's share of the silverware in the premier grades.
Their most valuable premier player, stalwart Craig Findlay, also announced his retirement from top-club level competition.
Turning 40 in August, Findlay said he returned this summer for a good last summer and accomplished his goal.
"Nothing's changed. I'll be watching my boy [Toby] play cricket each Saturday morning and then watch the seniors in the afternoon," the former CD and Bay representative Hawke Cup winner said of his 7-year-old who plays for the NTOB under-10s and year 5-6 age-group team under the tutelage of his grandfather and Bay cricket chairman, Harry Findlay.
While 5-year-old daughter Maia was playing Milo cricket, he didn't think she would be a cricketer like Toby who started at the age of 2.
"I don't know if she'll go down that track but she's a fast runner," adding time with wife Raewyn and the children was paramount.
Confident he could still play at prem level if he wanted, Findlay said he didn't want to train and to play without turning up to the nets would be setting a bad work ethics for youngsters.
Findlay scored 39 sixes this season in a Bay rep career that yielded 2000 runs. He scored a century against all club sides bar Central Hawke's Bay, departing on 90-odd this summer.