A group of cricket fans was kicked out of Eden Park over the weekend for hurling 'insults' at Black Caps batting hero Henry Nicholls.
Kent Fletcher and six of his friends attended the fourth day of the pink ball test between the Black Caps and England on Sunday before securitykicked them out for allegedly calling Nicholls by his nickname "Hairy Nipples".
The Black Caps' centurion was given the nickname by the Alternative Commentary Collective (ACC), including Radio Hauraki's Jeremy Wells and Matt Heath.
"We had a couple of drinks, but we were basically still sober, and we were just shouting out things in the field like 'Hairy Nipples'," Fletcher told the Herald.
"We were also shouting out to a fielder that was close by [English fast bowler] Craig Overton because I love the guy, so I was just saying 'love you Craig, get a bowl mate' all that sort of stuff.
"We weren't swearing, we were just creating an atmosphere, to be honest."
Fletcher said although a security guard on the field gave them a "dirty look," no one from the group was issued with a warning.
According to Fletcher, a security guard then approached the group and told them to make their way to the entrance.
Fletcher said he asked multiple times whether they were being kicked out, and why, before being confronted by one of the security guards.
"One of the security guards pointed at me and said, 'you've got the loud mouth' and came nose to nose with me. It was very strange, and [he] said 'you're getting kicked out, you said hairy nipples and you're leaving'.
"We thought when he went nose-to-nose with me he was looking for a good excuse to kick us out, but we weren't going to be violent or anything like that," Fletcher said.
"They didn't give us a warning either, they just kicked us straight out, and it was just really weird."
Mike Lane, head of the ACC, confirmed that "Hairy Nipples" was a nickname given to Nicholls by his friends, and said the incident seemed like an "overreaction".
The boys from the Alternative Cricket Collective came up with Nicholls' nickname. Photo / Supplied
"It's a known nickname given to him by his friends, and it was passed onto the ACC and that's what we call him, and we've talked to Henry loads of times and he's totally fine with it," Lane said.
"It's a weird overreaction to a thing where it may offend someone, so they just take action without even thinking about it … It would be nice if those involved in the game had a knowledge of what is offensive and what isn't.
"It seems like an overreaction, and unfortunately it's not surprising."
The Herald has contacted Eden Park security for comment.
