The Northern Knights' increasing use of Whangarei's Cobham Oval has had benefits for the region's up-and-coming cricketers as they get to rub shoulders with first-class cricketers.
CoachForce coach Karl Treiber said the Knights went out of their way to be as accessible as they could and attended coaching sessions throughout their
busy season.
"It's nice to have our young cricketers see the Knights on a regular basis because it provides both inspiration and a benchmark for them," he said.
Treiber - who is in charge of coaching development in the province - said having their role models around was exciting for the youngsters.
"Having them watch the way players like Kane Williamson go about their training, makes the coaching job a lot easier too because you actually have some very visual reference points to refer them to," he said.
"We are currently thinking we'd like to bring some of our elite teams down if the timing is right - like the U14, U16 and U17 Northland squads - while ND do their fielding training, so they get to see how they go about their work and the intensity they train with. It would give them an idea of what it's like to play at the next level," he said.
Treiber said coaching sessions like the one the Knights ran on Wednesday and another run pre-Christmas in Kerikeri are helping to raise the profile of players to hero status for kids.
Peter Thorley
