Cricket: Kiwi connection helps turn champs on head

As late as Wednesday Dr Pim Borren was contemplating driving from his Rotorua home to Auckland and hopping on a plane to London.

There he would have grabbed a few hours' sleep before jumping on a tube to leafy St John's Wood.

At the hallowed turf of Lord's he would have watched his son Peter, who, with fellow Cantabrian Darron Reekers, played a big part in one of the most sensational starts to a world championships ever seen.

Yesterday, in the London rain and gloom, the Netherlands rolled the hosts in an impossibly tense finish, giving the tournament an electrifying start and turning the cricket world on its head in much the same way as when Ireland beat Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup.

If anything, this was even more unthinkable. This was Lord's, England's home. The hosts would, to a man, have been comfortable with its traditions and quirks, including the eight-foot slope that runs across the ground and has befuddled many a newcomer.

It didn't seem to bother Christchurch-born Borren though, who returned a relatively economical 1-31 from his four overs before playing a vital role with the bat, his 30 from 25 balls batting at No 5 one of the keys to the Dutch victory.

"I should have been there," laments Dr Borren, chief executive of Waiariki Institute of Technology. "I might still go, actually."

It could be worth it. As two teams advance from each three-team pool, and the Netherlands playing the last match against Pakistan overnight Tuesday, the Dutch will know exactly what they need to do to qualify.

A loss could still see them qualify and grant Pim another chance to cross the world.

Despite hailing from near Eindhoven, the Borrens have a rich sporting pedigree in New Zealand. Peter's uncle Thur was a member of the feted 1976 gold medal-winning hockey side, while another uncle, Jan, represented New Zealand at Mexico '68 and Munich '72. Two other uncles, Frank and Toon, played for Canterbury.

Dr Borren says Peter, 25, was a strong hockey player himself, playing for New Zealand under-18 before giving it away to concentrate on cricket when he made the national under-19 side.

"He made that team with Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Neil Broom," said Dr Borren. "He had high hopes of playing for New Zealand himself and actually waited until after his third season in Holland before making himself available for the Dutch side.

"He was trying to crack the Canterbury A side but eventually said, 'Dad, I'm never going to play for New Zealand so I might as well play for Holland now'," recalls Dr Borren.

It was a decision that would give him a lot more stamps in his passport (Borren holds both Dutch and NZ passports), including several from the Caribbean, where he played at the last World Cup.

"He's had 16 summers in a row."

This one might turn out to be a golden summer.