Cricket: Pods technocrat, grassroots man

Neil "Pods" Hood

He comes across as a blend between his predecessors, Hugh Henderson and Blair Furlong, equally adept in massaging his keyboard and rolling up his sleeves at a cricket ground, respectively.

"Driven", Neil Hood, says when asked how he sees himself in his new role as CEO of CD.

"It's fair to say I'm somewhere in between. Blair was obviously a charismatic kind of guy so I'm a little bit like that from a people aspect.

"I'm also big on planning and big on making sure we're doing the business side of the game the right way as well," says the man well-known to cricket lovers as "Pods", a nickname he inherited at Horowhenua College where an "old-school" coach called a portly teenager "Podge" but teammates heard otherwise.

"It was a miscommunication and it just stuck. I was rather rotund as a third former in the first XI side."

Born and bred in Koputaroa, north of Levin, Hood says his family have been dairy and beef cattle farmers for almost a century.

"I was the youngest so going to the farm wasn't an option," says the former Horowhenua-Kapiti allrounder who graduated from Massey University with a degree in media studies and Masters in sports management.

While working for a decade as Manawatu Cricket Association CEO for 10 seasons, he obtained post-graduate diplomas in business law, finance and sports management.

He also took on the portfolio of the Horowhenua-Kapiti Cricket Association for four years during that spell.

"This [CD CEO] has always been a great position and something I aspired to and feel I can make a difference in."

A single man, Hood says moving from Levin wasn't a major issue, as he puts his feelers out to see where he can settle in the next few weeks.

"I'm someone who, in the big picture, likes to have fun and has genuine enthusiasm and passion for cricket and the people within our region.

"I like to enjoy myself but also have a working environment where we can actually get on with each other.

"I'm someone who likes a laugh and can see the lighter side of life but I'm very driven in results."

Results, he emphasises, doesn't necessarily equate to winning matches but progressing in the overall scheme of things.