Dedicated Yovich switches off after award-winning season

Joey Yovich will neither confirm nor deny what his intentions are for next season.
He says  he hasn't really addressed the question yet, but if his form this season was anything to go by, he'll be back for another year at least.
The 33-year-old cricketer proved he is a long way from being over the hill during the most successful Northern Districts  season for 30 years, by being the only player to start in every game. Although his attitude to the game has changed little since his first class debut in the 1996/7 season - the amount of people asking him when he'll retire has increased tenfold.
"As you go on in the game, people ask you more often if you're planning to retire ... but I can't really answer that question - I've enjoyed this season, it was pretty successful but I've closed the book on it now. What I can say is that my body is still feeling pretty good so I'm leaning towards maybe having another crack."
Yovich has already moved into his off-season mode and won't make any decisions until the time is right. He has never been interested in playing cricket in the Northern Hemisphere, another factor he considers to have prolonged his career.
"I guess since the beginning of my career, I've managed to close off (from cricket) once the season's done and get back with who I call the 'real people' and put my mind to different things and avenues up here in Whangarei," he said.
This week, Yovich was awarded the Cobham Cricket Club Endeavour Trophy for the 2009-10 season, capping off his successful season, but it was his "keep it real" attitude that landed him the award, Cobham chairman Robert Anderson said.
"He reminds me of Steve Waugh - he gives back to the game and plays for his club side and Northland when he can and does a tremendous amount of work at the grassroots level," Anderson said.
Yovich believes that professional cricketers don't always make the effort they should back at their home bases.
"I always think about when I was a young fellow coming through, with all the older guys with international or first class experience coming back, and pitting my skill against them helped me a lot and that's why I always try and get back to play," he said.
Cobham Cricket Club started off in 1978 as a club for former Northland players who had retired from the game.
"It was basically set up to foster the development of secondary school players," Anderson said.
In the 1990s, the tables were turned with students like Yovich, the Parlanes (Michael and Neal) and the Marshalls (Hamish and James) more than able to give their elders a cricketing lesson. In recent years, the club has turned into a support network for Northland cricket.
Whangarei Boys' High School's Henry Cooper won the Lillee Cup, awarded for the most outstanding secondary school player, for his performances throughout the season.