Black Caps' arrival and mayor's gaffe stir up cricket capital

Celia Wade-Brown. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Black Caps turned heads when they arrived at Wellington yesterday for their World Cup match against England tomorrow.

Cricket fan Peter Hodgson, 64, from Christchurch, was excited to meet the cricketers upon their arrival at Wellington Airport from Dunedin.

"I turned around and there were all the Black Caps," he said.

Mr Hodgson said he had been following the World Cup closely and attended the New Zealand v Sri Lanka game in Christchurch last Saturday.

Mr Hodgson, in Wellington for a concert, said he would also be attending the Pakistan v West Indies game at Hagley Oval this Saturday.

Yesterday, he was lucky enough to get signatures from nine members of the team, on a small cricket bat he was carrying "just in case".

He said he had signatures from Nathan and Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori, among others.

"It's excellent. It has been great to see them in person, they have been brilliant."

A Black Caps spokesman said the team would have training and discuss scouting reports on England this morning before skipper Brendon McCullum fronts a press conference at 1pm.

They will take on England at Westpac Stadium tomorrow at 2pm.

Meanwhile, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has made headlines around the world for slipping up when she called England captain Eoin Morgan by the wrong name.

In an address to the team in Wellington yesterday, England-born Ms Wade-Brown wished captain "Eoin Rogers" luck for the rest of the tournament.

The mayor's mistake was mocked by media.

The Daily Telegraph reported it had brought "a wry smile to the lips of some of the England players".

The newspaper also noted she "looked horrified when informed of her error".

"It was the only blemish in a wonderfully evocative welcome to the city for the England team, which included a dragon-boat race, a haka, and a Maori hongi," the Telegraph reported.