Peter Guptill with a photo of son Martin, aged 7. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Peter Guptill with a photo of son Martin, aged 7. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Even as a schoolboy at Avondale College, Cricket World Cup double- century star Martin Guptill had something that set him apart.
"He had quite a bit of an X-factor about him," recalls his then coach, Kit Perera.
"He had immense passion. Talent is one thing. You get a lot of talented athletes that don't quite make it. You have to intertwine talent with passion and he had that passion to want to play for his country."
The Black Caps batting ace smashed his way into the world's record books on Saturday, blazing 237 not out against the West Indies at Wellington Regional Stadium.
The once shy and quiet "westie" was drafted into the Avondale College First XI in the third form. He had a strong work ethic and could hit the ball hard, Mr Perera recalls.
"I'll never forget after training ... he would pester me to hit him cricket balls for his fielding. I would just smash balls and smash balls. In the end I said, 'Guppy mate, it's getting dark, my arm's f****d, I need to go home'. He's that sort of guy."
Sri Lankan-born Mr Perera, who was also a professional player for Guptill's old club Suburbs-New Lynn, remembers the young player scoring a hundred on debut against the West Indies at Eden Park, which he brought up with a six off Chris Gayle, before grabbing a sandwich and heading back to the clubrooms for a lemonade "to see the guys".
His licence plate reads "Marty Two-Toes" - in reference to a forklift accident when he was 13 which resulted in amputation of three toes on his left foot. But the loss of Guptill's digits didn't hold him back.
"When he's on, watch out," Mr Perera said. "To me he's one of the best in the world. Believe me, he will better the 230 - he's a freak."
Proud dad Peter Guptill, who has scored 12,000-odd runs for Suburbs-New Lynn, says as a young up-and-coming cricketer his son was asked what he wanted to achieve in the game.
"He said his goal was to break his father's record at the club."
But as Guptill's record-shattering innings reverberates around the globe, Peter doubted his son would find enough club cricket crease time to threaten his own tally.
"That's never going to happen."
As a youngster, Guptill was obsessed with sport, playing rugby, First XI soccer, cricket and softball, and representing Avondale College at kilikiti (Samoan cricket).
Martin, aged 4, with brother Ben, aged 7.
"He played midget cricket down at the club from about age 5. Whenever there was a bit of ground and a chance, he'd play cricket.
"I think he was obsessive about all sports," said Peter, 62, who watched his son decimate the West Indian bowling attack on Saturday at a pub in Royal Oak.
"It was nerve-racking for a while but by the time he got to about 70 you relaxed, and then just hope he can go on and keep going, and he did."
Asked how he felt now the reality of his son's knock was starting to sink in, Peter said: "It was one of those waking up this morning and saying, 'Was that real what I saw or did I just have a dream last night' type of thing. You're a bit of a stunned mullet."
Peter said the battered white ball that his son smashed on to the stadium roof had been retrieved and was presented to Guptill after the game. A photo emerged of it on Twitter yesterday, with the message: "Good effort from the stadium to retrieve this from the roof for @Martyguptill #souveneir [sic]."
Peter spoke to his son by phone after the match. "He sounded quite tired - I guess a sense of relief that they'd won the game and a sense of euphoria and relief and all the things that come from winning a knock-out game."
He was now looking forward to watching his son take on South Africa in tomorrow's semifinal at Eden Park and hoped the Black Caps could go all the way.
