Jatinder Singh was able to buy his first home five years ahead of plan thanks to Tui's Catch a Million cricket promotion. Photo / Natalie Akoorie
Jatinder Singh was able to buy his first home five years ahead of plan thanks to Tui's Catch a Million cricket promotion. Photo / Natalie Akoorie
If Jatinder Singh had not caught that cricket ball at the Black Caps versus India one-day international, he would still be renting.
The 22-year-old was a university student in January 2014 when he reached up and caught a six hit by Black Caps allrounder Corey Anderson.
Singh won $100,000 for his efforts thanks to the Tui Catch a Million promotion, where fans wearing Tui promo t-shirts who catch a six one-handed take home part of the $1 million prize money.
Now, 26, he's the proud owner of a house in an upmarket suburb in Hamilton, which he credits to the win.
"I put it toward a house deposit. I wouldn't be in my own home now without it," he said.
Singh, who works at ACC, was working a part-time job at The Warehouse during his university holiday when he took the day off to go to the game at Seddon Park on January 22, three years ago.
Singh already had his Tui t-shirt and would be back this season to try his luck again.
Wellington joiner John Raynor won $107,000 when he caught a six during the Black Caps versus West Indies Cricket World Cup quarterfinal at Westpac Stadium in March 2015.
"I had quite a good feeling about it right the way through. Three or four overs in Brendan McCullum smacked one straight at my son sitting on my right and this is about two seconds after my wife said 'Now boys if the ball comes this way you make sure you leave it to Dad'."
Raynor, a cricket coach in his spare time, took his family to London this year to watch the game at Lord's, 'The Home of Cricket'.
"We did stuff we thought was pretty cool since we didn't have that money prior to that. Some of it is still in the bank and we just got a vehicle."
But for Raynor, now 45, being invited to the black tie New Zealand Cricket Awards a few weeks after the catch was priceless.
"I got to meet Martin Crowe, all the players and a lot of people I've seen around the traps for years. Meeting someone like Martin Crowe, you can never take that away."
Raynor said he'd be at every game again this season to take part in the promotion.
Stu Chapman was at Seddon Park in Hamilton to watch Black Caps versus Bangladesh at the Cricket World Cup in March 2015 when he made the lucky catch.
Stu Chapman caught a ball at the New Zealand-Bangladesh match at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on March 13, 2015. He says he will be back this season for another go. Photo / Christine Cornege
"Being at a day-nighter, when I caught that ball it was the white ball coming in the dark sky so I reckon that made it easier."
Chapman said his father-in-law and eldest son were at home watching the game when they saw the catch.
"Jacko, my father-in-law is looking at this guy catching the ball and going 'Holy smoke, I think that's Stu. Next minute we're getting these texts from Robson saying 'How much you win?'."
The 48-year-old from New Plymouth won $107,000, half of which paid for a newly completed rumpus and games room for his three teenage children.
It also paid for three sets of braces for the children.
A Westpac agribusiness manager, Chapman said the win was amazing and he would return to Hamilton again for another shot at the prize pool.
"I didn't have too many beers which probably did save me, which is probably why I did catch it. But I had quite a few afterwards."
He said he'd sit next to a mate who was shy of catching a ball like last time, and pace the beersies.
How it works
• Punters who catch a six one-handed during any of the 23 One Day Internationals or Twenty 20 matches while wearing the new Tui Catch a Million t-shirt will be rewarded with $50,000.
• The total prize pool is $1,150,000 which will be split across all Black Caps short format matches against the West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and England.
• In the past two catch a million campaigns, Tui gave away $950,000 to nine winners who were able to cleanly catch a six.
