Nigel Brooke.
A fine innings is coming to an end for one of the longest-serving staff members at Central Districts Cricket.
CD community cricket manager Nigel Brooke, 65, has announced his intention to retire this week, ending more than 20 years with the organisation. His departure leaves big shoes to fill, given his vast knowledge of Central Districts Cricket and the eight Districts Associations of the CD catchment.
Levin-based Brooke was a talented cricket player himself in his younger years and was pretty handy at rugby, too - he played 12 representative games of rugby for Horowhenua.
He represented CD’s under-23 side in 1980 and played in the tournament held in Christchurch that year alongside peers that included future New Zealand reps Ian Smith, Andrew Jones, Gary Robertson and future Central Stags captain and longtime CDCA colleague, Scott Briasco.
Brooke toured Australia with the CD U23 side in 1979 and again in 1981 (as captain) — a certain Whanganui Collegiate old boy named David Kirk was his vice-captain, and the team also included future New Zealand rep Tony Blain. Another good memory was when he made it onto the field as 12th man for the Central Stags in a Plunket Shield match.
Over the years when he worked as a stock agent living in a number of rural CD towns, he played for Manawatū, Horowhenua Kāpiti, Rangitikei and Southern Hawke’s Bay in the Hawke Cup competition.
A serious knee injury on the rugby field when he was 25 would throw a spanner in the works, but never stopped him from continuing to play cricket and being involved in other sports that he loved.
Brooke’s fulltime role at CDCA started in 2000 when he began working alongside then-CEO Blair Furlong and Gary Pond as part of a small team responsible for the huge area of the Association.
His first role was to oversee and deliver the Milo junior cricket programme in the CD area, the equivalent of today’s Smash Play.
“I was in Australia coaching the Horowhenua College First XV on a rugby trip when Blair rang and offered me the job”.
“[Former CD rep] Alec Astle had set up this national development programme for New Zealand Cricket. They had provided funding to implement it in each of the Major Associations, so now they needed people to oversee and deliver the programmes regionally.
“We also had coaches in our districts working part-time in the programme, helping with awareness and promotion, coach development and so on — and many of those people are still involved in our sport today.”
Brooke said it was now time to move on and put energy into other parts of his life.
“There has been a lot of change in the game and in our DAs, so it’s an exciting time for a new person to come in and get stuck in.”
Some of the biggest changes Brooke has witnessed in almost a quarter of a century with CD Cricket have been the societal changes that have put pressure on the game, the career development space and the growth of the women’s game.
“There are a lot of people in the game now who are being paid, with potential to grow their career in sport, in roles that were formally filled by volunteers. The change from a totally amateur set-up with maybe part-time coaches, to a clear career pathway where the DAs have full-time staff in several roles, has been quite significant.
“DAs are like small businesses now, and the skill sets required to run them are quite advanced. My role has changed a lot as well over the years as resources and funding have increased.”
A highlight for Brooke has been his close association with Vanuatu Cricket. The relationship started in 2011 through a partnership with the ICC and the East Asia Pacific regional development programme.
He was very fortunate to tour with the men’s national team to ICC tournaments in countries including Samoa, Botswana and Jersey.
In 2015, he stepped in to perform the role of Central Hinds’ head coach for two seasons after former coach Mike Shrimpton died.
A qualified Level 3 Coach, he’d previously combined his day-to-day CD job as district services manager with selection and coaching duties, which started with the CD Boys’ under-14 team, then progressed with under-15, under-17 and under-19 teams for many years.
He has been pivotal in leading CD’s coach development programmes and courses over many years — helping to develop promising and aspiring coaches from throughout the Central Districts catchment and increasing the number of qualified male and female coaches.
“One of the things I’ve really enjoyed in this role is having the opportunity to have some influence and be able to support and help form the pathway for people - many of whom have gone on to professional careers in cricket not only in CD, but other Major Associations and overseas,” he said.
“It is great to see where CD people continue to make a big impact.”
“I’ve just simply loved dealing with people in the community game in our districts. It literally is a community, and they are the unsung heroes.”
“I’ll miss it. I’ll miss the camaraderie, but I’m also confident I’m leaving our community game in a good space, at the right time.”
Central Districts CEO Lance Hamilton said Brooke had made a positive impact on thousands of cricketers in the CD region over the course of his career.
“He is incredibly passionate ... he knows cricket in our region inside out and will leave a massive hole ...”
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.
