Two men with a handle on their jobs

Two men with a handle on their jobs
MINDERS: Keith Norris (left) and Warren Jones.JOHN STONECRICKET
by Michelle CurranNorthern Districts 'gofers' create a home
away from home when the team is in town
 
Warren "Wok" Jones and Keith "Chuck" Norris are the "A" Team as far as Northern Districts and Northland Cricket are concerned.
For the past five seasons, the pair have worked closely with the Knights and their opposition as liaison officers whenever first-class games are contested at Whangarei's Cobham Oval.
Yesterday  they were presented with a tie and shirt by Northland Cricket's chief executive Gary Bell and ND stalwart Joseph Yovich, as a combined gesture from ND and Northland Cricket, to recognise the endless hours they have invested into their charges.
"You don't go into it expecting this sort of recognition. We do it for the love the game and the love of the people - you form really close bonds with the team and people involved with it," Norris said.
When the Knights  play at Cobham Oval, Norris is in charge of making sure their needs are met at games and during their stay, while Jones looks after the visiting side. The pair take their duties  seriously.
"There's a lot of Northern Districts players from Hamilton and Tauranga  ... we try to make this feel like their home away from home," Norris said. Jones agreed and said he made sure players knew all the hotspots in Whangarei.
"We are basically their  gofers. If someone needs to go to the physio or a doctor - or anywhere for that matter - we make sure they get there. We just generally look after them," he said.
Working so closely with the teams means they hear everything in the dressing rooms - including team tactics - but Jones and Norris said part of their job was to remain tight-lipped, even if it could help the host side.
"I would never tell Chuck anything I heard and he would never tell me what he hears."
While he insisted he was a true blue Knights supporter, Jones said he couldn't help but feel disappointed for the visiting side if they lost, especially Otago, for whom he held a soft spot.
"Otago were a good side to deal with. You are dealing with the team so closely, so you do end up supporting them a bit ... but deep down I am a Knights supporter."
Plus there was a handle of beer riding on the game. For every time a visiting side wins Norris buys Jones a handle, while for every game won by ND Jones forks out to buy Norris a beverage.
By Norris' count, he led the running tally by three pints, though Jones swore it was only two.
"It hurts Wok deeply that I am winning," Norris laughed.
Between the two men, they could recount hundreds of highlights from their time "minding" first-class cricketers, but, Jones quipped, most were not suitable for print.
But the duo agreed ND's double victory - taking out the Plunket Shield and the one-day competition in the 2009/2010 season - stood out clearly in their minds.
"Taking out the two trophies was a highlight ... but over the years, seeing the young fellas we have looked after do so well and for some of them to make it into the Black Caps has been a real thrill," Norris said.
Norris and Jones said they were keen to stay on so long as ND would have them.
There's a few more handles to be had yet.