By TERRY MADDAFORD
Sick of rolling around in the mud three times a week at training and then, as a goalkeeper, hardly touching the ball in a match finally drove Rebecca Rolls away from soccer.
But soccer's loss quickly became cricket's gain as the talented allrounder switched pitches.
Now firmly established in the White Ferns as a wicketkeeper-batsman, 25-year-old Rolls is a proud member of that elite dual-international club.
There is, she admits, not too much difference between the skills required for goal or wicketkeeping.
"The lateral movement and the concentration both roles demand are not world's apart," Rolls said at the women's World Cup in Christchurch. "Even when I was playing soccer I still played cricket."
But after 11 internationals - she made her debut as an 18-year-old in an Oceania qualifying tournament in Papua New Guinea - Rolls left soccer in 1997 after returning from that year's cricket World Cup in India.
She had been to India previously, to play soccer. "That was terrible," she said. "We played all our matches in Madras, which has to be the hottest place in the world."
While it was cooler for most of the matches at the cricket World Cup, Rolls was laid low with "Delhi belly," but still vowed on her return that it was time to give soccer away and concentrate on her summer love.
"I was coming back to go to Police College and I realised that the enjoyment from playing soccer had gone. I still follow it and maybe some time I'll play again - not in goal but as an average midfielder."
Sarah Illingworth's retirement after the 1996 cricket tour of England catapulted Rolls into the No 1 spot and gave her the added excitement of making her debut against Australia in front of her home-town crowd in Napier where she scored 29 "batting at eight or nine."
She has slowly crept up the order and has now opened six times.
"Unfortunately, I like to score runs in a hurry and it doesn't always work."
She was good enough, however, to score an unbeaten 84 against South Africa in Christchurch last year.
As a wicketkeeper she has really made her mark. In 33 one-day internationals, she has taken 16 catches and stumped 13 batsmen.
Time spent with former New Zealand coach and Australian wicketkeeper Steve Rixon has obviously helped.
Given the emphasis on the one-day game in women's cricket, it is no surprise that Rolls has yet to play anything other than limited-over games.
"I've never played a test. I'm not sure I really want to."
As one of the taller players in the national side, Rolls finds some stress on her lower back, but admits she has been lucky in avoiding serious injury.
"I have a bit of strapping on my lower back at the moment," Rolls said. "But, touch wood, I have never had a broken finger from either sport."
Now in Auckland after a sports science degree at Waikato University on her way north, Constable Rolls walks the beat in South Auckland.
"I love it," she said. "But at times work and cricket can be a bit of a balancing act."
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Cricket: Versatile Rolls proud dual national rep
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