Whangarei side made up of dads and sons

Whangarei fathers are teaming up with their sons tomorrow to take on their Mangonui sub-union counterparts for the Jim Boyd Memorial cricket match at Kaitaia College.
The annual fixture at the college's bottom fields tomorrow features a Whangarei side made up of some of the area's most promising young cricketers - and their dads.
The idea came about after Mat Radich contacted his old mate Barry Cooper to ask if he could muster a Whangarei team to play against a Mangonui selection for the Boyd match.
"He asked if we'd bring a team up to play and I thought it'd be great to play with my son and I know Ross Kneebone, Russell Smith, Mike O'Sullivan and Quentin Cherrington would be rapt to play a match with their kids, so it went from there," Cooper said.
The Mangonui sub-association is a former powerhouse of Northland cricket but in recent years the numbers have dwindled and the Jim Boyd Memorial game has been left to fly the flag for Mangonui Cricket.
Radich said he hopes the game will help to enthuse some interest in the game locally.
"We haven't got any cricket going at Mangonui now - it's a real shame because there are a lot of kids who want to play but nobody's interested in taking them - so this is our big game of the year," he said.
He hopes that a few cricket fans with some time to help organise a junior competition next season may come out of the woodwork this weekend - perhaps encouraged by the memory of Jim Boyd.
Boyd, an English immigrant to the area, was a notable cricketing personality in Mangonui.
"I remember him opening the batting against Whangarei when he was 71, incredible really, but he coached college teams as well. I suppose you'd call him an icon of the game at Mangonui and since he passed away we've played an annual benefit game for him," Radich said.
The star-studded dad'n'lad team won't have things all their own way because the Mangonui team is not without some talent. Fast bowler Josh Ashley was selected for the Northland senior representative side for the 08-09 season and two promising Kaitaia College students Jack Rippingale and Tom Snelling have been added to the line-up, which is made up of former Mangonui representative players.
Cooper said the Whangarei team was glad to help out and promote the sport in the far north as well as sharing in a memorable day with their sons.
"It's a way that we can help to promote cricket up there then we'll try and do it every year," he said.
A good crowd is expected to watch the match at Kaitaia College and with a pig on a spit planned for the post match meal.