LEAD STORY: Rider in, Ryder out

HAMISH BIDWELL
Mark Todd negotiated phase one of his Olympic Games comeback in Hawke's Bay, but local lad Jesse Ryder unfortunately lived up to his unhappy reputation for alcohol-related incidents.
THERE were equal measures of disappointment and concern following the self-inflicted injury suffered by Jesse Ryder which has put his international cricket career in jeopardy.
The Black Caps batsman, who first came to prominence as a prodigiously talented Hawke's Bay teenager, underwent surgery yesterday afternoon to repair the right hand he is reported to have injured in the toilets of Christchurch's Stock Xchange Bar at 5.30am, following New Zealand's 3-1 win in their one-day international series against England.
The 23-year-old Ryder, famous for his nocturnal habits as much as his playing ability, required a reconstruction to the exterior tendon of his index finger, a flap reconstruction and a skin graft after reportedly smashing the glass on a toilet door which had been accidentally locked.
That surgery is said to have been a success but Black Caps manager Lindsay Crocker hinted that the biggest damage done has been to Ryder's reputation within the team.
``He's been through a roller-coaster. He started off with a great deal of criticism about his selection and his physique,' Crocker said.
``He put all those to bed with the way he played, and turned it around completely to the point where he became a folk hero. I've never really seen anyone go through that range of emotions so quickly.
``He had made enormous strides and we thought he had shown great maturity in this new-found position of his. He was playing a hell of a well for us as well. Then to undo it all the next morning ...
``I'm disappointed by Jesse and disappointed for him. That's the over-riding emotion at the moment.
``He was in a pretty bad way at A&E; yesterday. He had lost a lot of blood and was on a drip. He was pretty quiet. He knows what he's done and he knows it's entirely self-inflicted and he's hoping, as we all are, that he doesn't pay too high a price for this.'
Hawke's Bay cricket identity Craig Findlay, who has acted as a mentor to Ryder for some time, said he hoped the incident occurred as it was reported.
``I'm gutted for him. I haven't been able to speak to him yet but I know he'll be remorseful and embarrassed,' Findlay said.
``I believe he's had some trouble coping with some of the things that are being said and shouted at him in public. He's not really used to people giving him a hard time. ``Having said that, he's allowed to go out. The series was over and he wasn't breaking any rules. A lot of 23-year-olds go out until 5.30 in the morning and I'll bet Jesse wasn't the only 23-year-old who injured themselves on Saturday night.
``The difference is that Jesse is a public figure now and he's got to accept that maybe going out until that late isn't okay anymore. My biggest hope is that it's not going to affect his future.
``Look at the money some of his teammates are going to earn through the Indian Premier League. With the way he's played against England, Jesse has the chance to be a millionaire and I hope he doesn't waste it.'
Meanwhile, Old Todd's back, jumping for the top - see SPORT