Mullets and Magpies: Cricket match just the wicket for Hawke’s Bay cyclone relief

Magpies' potential cricketers Tom Parsons (back row second from left) and Joel Hintz (back row third from right) mix it with Vet Services staff ahead of the charity T20 match this month. Photo Supplied

It’s no fashion show, but it’s a great cause.

Brave staff members from Vet Services will spend Mullet March growing their locks to square off with a Magpies XI in a charity T20 cricket match to aid those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Mullet March, a “business in the front, hero in the back” campaign launched by the Mental Health Foundation, is geared to raise awareness and funds for mental health across New Zealand.

Earlier in the year, a few members of the Vet Services team volunteered to grow an iconic mullet for the cause, but with everyone in the Bay affected by Cyclone Gabrielle one way or another, the team was looking for ways to turn it into a fundraiser to support the region’s cyclone response, an organiser said.

Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union jumped on board and is busy cobbling together a Magpies XI to take on a team of vets, farmers “and all-round legends” (the Mullet XI) in the fun T20 fixture.

The venue, for the match on March 31, has yet to be confirmed.

“Nothing brings the Hawke’s Bay community together faster than a game with the Magpies, and at the moment, we think a friendly match in the name of charity to support our proud region is exactly what we need.”

Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union commercial manager Dan Somerville said the union was keen to step up.

“Like everyone in Hawke’s Bay, our staff and the rugby community have been hugely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, with the devastation and challenges that it’s caused,” Somerville said.

“With many current Magpies out of Hawke’s Bay with their respective Super Rugby and Major League Rugby commitments, we have started to reach out to those that are available and some former players who might be keen to take up a bat.”

All funds raised by the game will go to the Mental Health Foundation and Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Relief to boost the community rebuild and recovery from the weather’s devastation.