BOB CUNIS - Double blow as cricket star dies

Fierce Northland sports pride took a double knock at the weekend with one sports legend buried at Maromaku and another dying at his home at Ruakaka on Saturday morning.
Former All Blacks fullback and Northland rugby icon Ken Going was farewelled at a moving funeral at Maromaku, north of Whangarei, on Saturday, a function attended by a huge crowd of mourners, including the entire Mid Northern senior club rugby team en route to Okara Park to play the championship final that afternoon.
But at almost the precise time mourners gathered to remember 66-year-old Going, former Northland, Auckland and New Zealand cricketer Bob Cunis collapsed and died from respiratory failure in Ruakaka. Cunis was aged 67.
It was cruel twist of fate and a double blow for Northland sports fans. Both Going and Cunis were at their peak as sportsmen in the 1970s.
Cunis was a former school teacher and principal at Waiohau Primary school in Bay of Plenty and Maungakaramea Primary School, south of Whangarei. But he was best remembered as a firebrand medium-fast bowler who played 20 tests for New Zealand from 1964-72 and clocked up 132 matches for Auckland and Northern Districts from 1960-61 to 1976-77.
Cunis went on to coach New Zealand and later entertained television viewers with a dry wit and insight as a cricket commentator.
Survived by mother Helen, wife Jeanette, and three children - Paul, Keri and Stephen - tributes to Cunis were pouring in to Northland Cricket headquarters all weekend.
"We're going to miss him because he was always there for everybody really, for the boys and their rugby and his grandkids at the hockey. It was a bit of a turnaround from when he was playing sport, of course," Jeanette said.
The former test pace bowler was also a handy lower-order batsman and his wife claimed his favourite cricketing moment had been a partnership with Mark Burgess in Pakistan in 1969.
"He liked winning the test matches by being the last batsman in and there was one in particular in Pakistan, when he and Mark Burgess were the last ones in, and they went on to win the game."
The funeral will be held at the Morris and Morris Funeral Home at Whau Valley, at 11am on Thursday.
Three of Ken Going's nephews - captain and No8 Rata Going, first-five Vaughan Going, second five Brad Miller - and Ken's son Clint Going played in the Mid Northern team on Saturday.
Sadly, Mid Northern were unable to finish the day with a win in the club final. The emotion of the day had taken a toll, said coach Daryl Pita.
"They were not their usual selves," Pita said, "after Ken died on Wednesday training was not too hot. Maybe they were trying too hard."