“I love the skills of cricket — wicketkeeping, batting, bowling, fielding — but I also enjoy seeing kids from the other schools,” gloveman Arthur said.
“We're a happy team, and we look forward to cricket — practising on Monday and playing on Saturday.”
Jack Roberts, a 10-year-old Year 6 student at Rere, is Arthur's teammate and is just as promising. His mum Anna attests to the groundwork done to facilitate a shared interest.
“David has done an amazing job to bring this rural team together — he's dedicated and cricket-mad, and is making a positive impact on our kids.
“We're lucky to have him.”
Richard McCosh knows the extra mile small communities go to give their youngsters opportunities.
“We had a team made up of kids from Waerenga-o-Kuri, Rere and Ngatapa playing 10-a-side rugby in Gisborne last year, and David had the idea to give our communities a chance to play cricket in addition to that and netball,” McCosh said.
“Before that, our kids often joined teams from larger schools such as Makaraka — we're very grateful to their principal Hayden Swann — to play sport. But now that the kids have their own team, we celebrate that and their progression.”
Cheryl Johnston said that 18 of her 19 students, aged from five to 10, boys and girls from Year 1 to Year 6, played the game together fairly and keenly.
“The rub-off from that team, and that sport, to the whole school, has been a sense of camaraderie and bonding, because cricket creates a nice atmosphere,” she said.
“We've got Ben Loffler, a Year 3 seven-year-old who aspires to play for the Gisborne Boys' High School first 11 like his cousin Cohen. Ben's played Friday night Super Smash cricket since he was five. He and his brother Angus, a five-year-old Year 1 student (who was three when he first played Super Smash), are often the first ones before school to put wickets up, get bats out and find the ball.”
The West Gisborne Rural Schools team have scored more than 110 runs in each of the three games they've played to date. Their opening batsman Ged Cook scored 19 at more than a run a minute in Round 1 against Makauri.
The team members' skills and cricket awareness have grown exponentially, as noted by Poverty Bay Cricket director Dave Castle, who has taken sessions with the side.
“The kids are a talented bunch, who are quickly developing a love for the game,” he said.
“It's awesome to see, and great to have had even a small part to play in developing their skills.”
Milne, who plays for High School Old Boys Presidents in the Senior B men's competition, said: “Cricket's an acquired taste. Players come and go but I've encouraged kids to play at Makaraka and now with this team. A month after I began at Rere, we played a game at lunch-time with the kids here — Jack (Roberts) led the way and they all joined in.”
Kerry Butt's son Charlie — a 10-year-old Year 6 student at Waerenga-o-Kuri — scored 15 against the Central Stags last Saturday. He loves the game and his mum has seen the buzz and sense of fun cricket has brought to the players.
“At morning tea and lunchtime, at least 20 of the 37 kids out here play their version of it . . . and the rules seem to change constantly.”
Ben Holden, of Senior B front-runners the Ngatapa Green Caps, is actioning a plan to lay a cricket ground at Patutahi. In support of the West Rural Schools team, he sponsored 30 team shirts worth $1400.
Traditionalist Milne insisted the shirts be white. They advertise Ben Holden Fencing, front and back.
Holden's seven-year-old son Archie is a Year 3 Ngatapa student who batted the most time for his team against Makauri in Round 1 this year.
“I got behind these guys because the kids are our future,” Holden said.
In that spirit — and the Spirit of Cricket about which Milne educates the West Gisborne Rural Schools team — Arthur Cave expressed the players' gratitude: “Thank-you for teaching me and coaching me. You've helped me to make myself a lot better.”
