Game a bid to build the sport in Far North

NEW LEAF: Tim King has been doing his bit to help develop Far North cricket culminating in a Whangarei Selection taking on the Far North cricket team at Kensington Park tomorrow.PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

Cricketers in Northland are all set to help each other out as they look to build the game in the Far North, with a Far North representative team taking on a Whangarei XI tomorrow at Kensington Park.

In a match which was first mooted last year by Cactus Liquor owner - and City cricket player - Tim King, players from as far north as Kaitaia will travel down to play in the hope of building the sport in their region.

Far North Cricket selector Pete Barnett says the match signifies a lot of hard work in trying to get the sport going in his area.

"I've been working on this for eight years to get people up here playing cricket, kids and adults," Barnett said. "Last year, we had two senior men's teams and now we've got five, so it's slowly starting to pick up.

"I've put a lot of time and effort and money from my own pocket to keep it [cricket] going, and to see the senior men and kids playing on a Saturday, and watch them growing, it really does make me feel proud of my achievements without being big-headed."

Barnett added that tomorrow's match at Kensington Park was just the beginning of what he hoped would be a successful inter-district affair. Although conceding there may be a skill difference between the teams, Barnett said that was unavoidable due to the different attitudes towards cricket in each part of Northland.

"It's a completely different situation in Whangarei to what it is up here, we haven't got the numbers yet so we're playing every fortnight.

"Our players are restricted by farm hours [too]. With the guys, and kids, up here it's very much a gently, gently approach, I don't want to go too hard on them and push them away, it's just slowly building up.

"Our approach to the game is competitive but not as formal as Whangarei is, our boys will have a laugh out there on the field and have fun."

While it may seem a good-willed competitive match-up, there will be a trophy up for grabs. The Far North team has also been kitted out with a representative uniform - their first in many years.

City's King has been doing the donkey work for the Whangarei contingent, although adding that it has not been difficult with the keen attitude of the players.

"They're all extremely keen so it has been hard to choose, at this stage we're playing at a reserve grade level so the premier players we have won't be bowling. At this stage, it's about bringing the Far North boys into it."

He adds that with the trophy up for grabs they will be playing hard, but also acknowledges it will not be in the spirit of the game to turn it into a one-sided affair.

"I think it'll be a good test of skills for both sides to see the difference between them. It's a way of getting them up to speed as well as giving us something different, you get used to players and this is a bit of mystery.

"We haven't seen them play and we don't know if our players will bowl them out, but it wouldn't be beneficial to score 400 and then bowl them out cheaply.

"We want to play a more traditional format of cricket.

"I've been playing for 30-odd years so we want to play hard but fair, sledging isn't really in our nature. It's going to be serious but also be fun."

The match will be a 40-over clash on Kensington Park field number four, near the helicopter pad. It will start at 1am.