CRICKET: Black Cap Hamilton thrills juniors

Hamish Bidwell
It was everything Mike Lewis could have dreamed of and more.
Here he was, the Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay Cricket Club coaching co-ordinator, surrounded by a room full of junior cricketers hanging on Black Cap Lance Hamilton's every word during the club's annual prize giving.
More than 130 players and interested parties attended the club's awards night, many of them age-group players, and for those youngsters, Lewis says, the chance to hear tales from a player of Hamilton's calibre was an invaluable opportunity.
"We had junior players there from our under-11 teams upwards and they just sat there watching and were utterly absorbed. In his speech Lance's quote was, 'you can still play for CHB and be a member of the Black Caps,"' said Lewis.
For his part, Hamilton says it has been a pleasure to be involved with CHB and he was honoured to receive the award.
"I've always made a point of making myself available to play whenever I can," Hamilton said.
"I've always enjoyed playing my cricket for CHB and as a club they've always looked after me in the nine years I've been associated with them."
Far from being a chore, Hamilton says turning out in club cricket has always been the foundation that his success with Central Districts has been built on.
"It's very important, those first four to six weeks weekends in the lead-up to the first-class season. Especially with the way you start your workload with 10 overs a day in one-day cricket and then move into two-day stuff.
"I didn't play a game for Hawke's Bay because of my commitments with CD last season, so it was important to go back and build up through club cricket."
After playing two one-day internationals (ODI) for New Zealand against Australia last summer, a back injury forced Hamilton out of CD's last few matches and prevented him from pushing for test selection for the Black Caps' test match against Sri Lanka at McLean Park.
Hamilton says it was just his body telling him that it had had enough and while it was frustrating, it enabled him to get back to his other career as a real estate agent and re-charge his batteries. With 15 ODI's to be played during the next domestic season, he says he will have plenty of opportunities for force his way back into the team.
In the meantime, he is still able to reflect on what it meant to himself and his family to realise his dream of playing for New Zealand.
"It's totally re-newed by enthusiasm and it's made the last nine or ten years of struggle worthwhile. Anytime I don't feel like going for a run, I just look in my wardrobe and see that New Zealand shirt hanging.
"I actually got two shirts and we had a family dinner the other day and I presented the other one to my Mum and Dad.
As parents they took me all over the place to games as a kid and they've followed me all around the country with CD and I know making it into the New Zealand team meant as much to them as it did to me."
As for the prize giving, the young player award went to Sam McConville and Marcus Schaw won the Chairman's Trophy. Special mentions go to the premier team, which won through to the one-day club final and the CHB College Ist XI, who were two-day and overall champions in seniors.
* Season's over? Give the TodaySport team a call on 873 0800 ext 8645 or email to sport@hbtoday.co.nz to arrange for coverage and pictures of your club's high-fliers.