Cricket: Scorer adds luck to flawless figures

No wonder the Northern Knights players and their association did all they could to have Bill Anderson at Pukekura Park for the State Shield final against the Central Stags this month.

Anderson, 55, is regarded by the Northern players as something of a good luck charm.

The association's scorer since the 1989-90 season and their statistician for the past 10 years, Anderson has made his dots and crosses at six finals, with a 100 per cent winning record.

"I've scored for them at a Max final, been to three one-day finals and two four-day finals and we haven't lost yet," said Anderson.

For all his expertise, Anderson did not follow the normal route into the big time by first scoring club matches.

"I was hopeless at scoring those games," said Anderson, who has been closely involved since being made redundant from NZ Forest Products' Kinleith mill in 1989.

He does, however, have fond memories of some early matches.

"While umpiring at an ND under-14 tournament a few years ago, I saw Daniel Vettori in action. Even then, you knew he was something special.

"I also remember scoring for a game here in Tokoroa between ND and CD B. Ian Smith played for Central that day."

In many of ND's home matches, Anderson has Phil Rice as his cohort. Rice has been doing the job for around 20 years.

These days Anderson works closely with Northern coach Bruce Blair.

Last winter he set up a database which collated every ball bowled at, or by, Northern players in all State Championship or Shield matches for the past five seasons.

"It takes time but there is some satisfaction in getting it right."