Wright goes in to bat for park stand

SPEAKER: John Wright, former Black Caps coach, will speak at a public event in Masterton.PHOTO/FILE

Former Black Caps cricket captain and coach John Wright will speak at a public function in the Masterton Town Hall on January 22.

The scorer of 12 test centuries as a stoic opening batsmen throughout a 15-year test career, Wright is recognised as a leading coach in all forms of the game.

In his first year as Mumbai Indians coach in the IPL T20 league, he led them to success in May last year and followed that up with victory in the Champions League - widely seen as the unofficial "World Championship" for T20 cricket.

Wright is looking forward to returning to the heat of the IPL competition next month but first he is keen to attend a fundraiser to help Wairarapa.

The grandstand at Queen Elizabeth Park is undergoing a facelift. Following an application to the Masterton District Council's the Long Term Plan, approval has been given to extend and upgrade the existing grandstand.

Plans have been drawn up to extend the stand to allow wider use of the facility for many activities. In addition, its historic nature will remain with the facade in keeping with the period in which it was originally constructed.

The district council has agreed to fund the project and is seeking support from throughout the district.

Andy Holmes, of Holmes Construction, has offered to project-manage the upgrade. It is estimated that this will save over $80,000.

The Wairarapa Cricket Association has pledged support and formed an independent fundraising committee under the chairmanship of Craig McBride, whose aim is to raise $60,000.

The committee has set up a series of fundraising events that will hopefully reach the target by October.

If all goes to plan, the grandstand facelift will be completed in time for the 2015 Cricket World Cup to be held in New Zealand and Australia beginning in February next year.

The Evening with John Wright is the first of the fundraising events. Included in the entertainment will be an outline of the other fundraising events and an auction of items of sporting memorabilia. Plans for the upgrade will be on display.

Tickets for the event ($30 per adult and $10 for under-18s) can be bought through Sport Wairarapa (cnr of Jackson and Chapel) or the Masterton District Council, Chapel St.