From left: Samuel, Martin Kaipo and Dominic Mita show how champions do it at practice for Otara's Bairds Mainfreight Primary School last year. Photo / Michael Craig
From left: Samuel, Martin Kaipo and Dominic Mita show how champions do it at practice for Otara's Bairds Mainfreight Primary School last year. Photo / Michael Craig
Six-year-old Riley Hoon will don cricket gear for the first time next weekend when the junior season starts in Auckland, with the Black Caps' sustained success responsible for his, and many other, registrations.
After New Zealand co-hosted the Cricket World Cup and the national side qualified for their first final in March, there has been an unprecedented boost in junior numbers this season.
Auckland Cricket have reported a 20-30 per cent increase and clubs are clamouring to ensure they have the resources to deal with it.
Riley's father Damien says the sport is a family tradition - he played at age-group level for Wellington and Riley's maternal grandfather John Carson represented Auckland and Northern Districts - but the current New Zealand side have been a catalyst.
"Riley saw the World Cup and I think it registered how well New Zealand did," Damien says.
"A resurgence doesn't surprise me. New Zealand have been inspirational on the international stage and they performed as a team rather than relying on one or two individuals.
"Their sportsmanship seems to be held in high regard around the world, too. If he could emulate that, we'd be pretty proud. Their values have filtered through to the public."
The Hoons spent happy hours last summer playing in front of a stumps sticker on their wheelie bin. Riley tended to want to "whack it more than block it" but will soon learn more about the game's nuances.
"We're going to the Parnell club which seems really organised," Damien says. "They're teaching them the skills prior to Christmas, before letting them play.
"He's playing Saturday mornings but I've heard of other clubs inviting kids to play on Friday nights and opening the bar to give it a community feel."
The resurgence is not isolated to the eastern suburbs.
Otara's Bairds Mainfreight Primary School came to prominence when, under the banner of Papatoetoe Cricket Club, they became Auckland's 6B grade champions and won the local Otara Cluster in 2014. They repeated the dose last season.
Having earned the Mighty Ducks moniker, their next assignment is the Auckland champion of champions tournament.
Cricket barely raised a whisper at the school five years ago. Now it's de rigueur.
Deputy principal Fiona McAree-Ngaau says they sent a team to a Hooked On Cricket tournament organised by the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association a few years ago. They were trounced but staff, parents and children became absorbed enough in the game to make it part of their summers.
"Papatoetoe Cricket Club have worked with us, giving lessons to every senior kid, and we run an after-school programme for our junior and middle school," McAree-Ngaau says. "We expect there to be 40 to 50 juniors and the same amount of middle school children taking part.
"We are probably going to need to cap the numbers. So many of the little kids see the big kids and want to play."
Jordan Ene practises his batting. Photo / Michael Craig
Grafton United club chairman Nick Albrecht sees a link between the World Cup and their rise in junior numbers from 410 to 540 (32 per cent) but says it's also a case of Auckland Cricket harvesting from long-standing initiatives.
"Cricket is on a high approaching the levels of the 1980s but they [Auckland Cricket] spent years engaging with the likes of schools, councils, community boards and trusts, even in non-cricketing areas, starting with the Club Is The Hub scheme.
"This gave clubs the autonomy to carve out their own futures and is a model for other sports organisations because it makes clubs the heart and soul.
"One concern is whether we have enough grounds and wickets to sustain this growth. There are few green spaces left in the Auckland isthmus and Auckland Cricket are engaging with the council to find solutions."
New Zealand Cricket have also taken notice. They are exploring novel ways of playing the game to combat what, on occasion, can be a numbing three to six hours on a Saturday.
"We've launched modified games that remove costs, can be played mid-week and completed in under two hours," says Ed Shuttleworth, NZ Cricket's general manager of community cricket.
Feedback commissioned by NZ Cricket suggested they offered too few options for working parents to involve their children.
"We want buy-in from those who mightn't necessarily be interested in cricket but, if there was a bat and ball on a beach, would jump at the chance to play. They can now find a format that suits.
"We're trying to make it as inclusive as possible. Everyone gets a bowl and a bat, the fielding positions rotate and there are other programmes going on around the park for those not directly participating.
"This means people who don't want to commit to every Saturday over an entire summer can get involved. It is the responsibility of the sport to ensure these children forge a lifelong love of the game."
