Horowhenua cricket team on track for dream trip thanks to tattoo Mum

Libby Bruhn.

An award-winning tattoo artist will donate a unique raffle prize to make sure her son and his team mates can achieve a sporting goal.

Libby Bruhn, from Levin, will pledge an entire day of ink work to the winner of the raffle, valued at $700.

When news came through that the cost of attending a cricket tournament at Riverbank in Hawke's Bay next year for the Weraroa Wolves T24 team was to cost $2500, she knew she could help.

Tickets for the tattoo raffle have met with a huge response.

An example of the work of Levin tattoo artist Libby Bruhn.

Bruhn said she just wanted to do something to help as the team were so passionate about their sport. She said her son and his team mates lived and breathed cricket.

Sam Bruhn, 12, even stays behind and helps out Weraroa club professional Daniel Williams with coaching clinics for youngsters new to the game, most of which were four and five-year-olds.

"They just love their cricket," she said.

Weraroa Wolves trained twice a week under senior coaches Williams, Neil Barnett and Adam Simonsen, and had even been keen on a pre-season regime put together by their coach Paora O'Donnell.

O'Donnell said some of the team wanted to start pre-season training more than two months out from their first game, so he took them for Sunday sessions and road training.

"They're so keen. Who am I to stop them?" he said.

Weraroa Wolves are hoping to raise enough bmoney to attend a cricket tournament in Hawkes Bay next year.

Meanwhile, Libby Bruhn started tattooing for her father Dave at Electric Ink in Levin in 2008, and in 2011, she won New Zealand Apprentice Tattooist of the Year.

Since then her work has developed a large following. She has travelled to Australia to work in studios and has tattooed people from all over the world.

Along with her husband Danny, the Bruhn's are a busy bunch and are involved in numerous sporting and community groups, and it isn't the first time they have been involved in fundraising.

But the tattoo raffle was expected to be by far the biggest fundraiser yet.

T24 Weraroa Wolves: Max Culleton (captain), Kooper O'Donnell (vice captain), Sammy Bruhn, Lachlan Trask, Miah Dawson, Piyesh Patel (wk), Kerry MacDonald, Hunter Adsett, Braydon Udy, Steile Veenendaal, Koby Trask, Zara Westerby. Co-coaches: Danny Bruhn and Paora O'Donnell. Manager- Deb Culleton.