Rugby: Stick around MVP tells teammates

Central halfback Toby Richardson looks upon his job as a custom made cricket bat maker at Laver & Wood in Waipawa as a hobby. Photo / Warren Buckland

Toby Richardson has pleaded to his Central premier rugby teammates to stick together and remain at the Waipukurau-based club.

"I've seen it before. When the team starts going well some of the better players are lured away to other clubs. I have no doubt this season's team will be a regular threat to top four sides if all the boys stay around Central Hawke's Bay," Richardson said.

Eighth-placed Northfuels Central produced their best performance of the season on Saturday when they knocked K9 Petfoods Clive out of the top four with a 23-0 Tui Maddison Trophy fifth round victory at Farndon Park. This saw Central climb to eighth place on the points table.

With his rock solid defence around the fringes and hot Aaron Smith-like distribution, halfback Richardson, 22, produced a player-of-the-match display. This saw him become the 14th weekly winner in the tussle for the McDonalds-Hawke's Bay Today Club Rugby Player of the Year award.

The fact Richardson, a 2013 Hawke's Bay under-20s representative, has played little sport in the past two years because of an arthritic condition with his back added to the significance of the feat.

"It gets worse during the winter but I also didn't play much cricket during the summer because of it," Richardson explained.

Like his Central teammates, Richardson, was rapt with Saturday's victory.

"While it was our second win of the season we've come close in most of our games. If we can play the full 80 we've got the potential to pip most teams ... we showed that when we clicked into gear against Clive."

A Central Hawke's Bay College product, Richardson, has played for the Central club since he was five. He missed all of last season with his back injury and the 2014 season was his first taste of premier play.

He idolises All Black No9 Smith.

"Aaron is by far the best halfback in the world so it's only natural to try and emulate him when you're playing."

Richardson attributed the competition between him and Hawke's Bay Saracens squad member Tim Sciascia as another factor in his run of hot form.

"Tim and I are good mates and it's good having good competition as the whole team benefits."

A Hawke's Bay age group cricket rep from under-11 level to under-18s, Richardson, has been an offspin bowler for the Central premier team for the past three years. In a rare appearance for the team last summer he fell nine runs short of his first century.

Since leaving school Richardson has worked as a custom-made cricket bat maker by hand for Laver & Wood Ltd in Waipawa. He looks upon the role as more of a hobby than a job.

"It's pretty rewarding. When I first made a bat which I played with it was a cool feeling."

No doubt he will have a similar feeling if Central keep producing wins like they did against Clive at the weekend.