A man delivers a boy's cricket dream

By RICHARD BOOCK

HAMILTON - We first noticed him about 20 years ago, in the days when people went to watch club cricket.

A small crowd had gathered to watch the mighty Lance Cairns and his powerful bat, Excalibur, but were distracted by the sight of his son- this barefooted kid - practising his game on the boundary line.

Chris Cairns, whose efforts with the bat and ball took New Zealand to a record-breaking win over the West Indies at Hamilton in the first test yesterday, was so good by the time he was 10 that one knew he would play for New Zealand.

And he has. The barefooted kid has been the key figure in New Zealand's recent test resurgence, and was at his best over the past few days as he rescued his team with the bat, then took the ball to send seven West Indian batsmen back to the pavilion.

Stubborn opener Adrian Griffith was prised out after Cairns decided to attack him around the wicket, Franklyn Rose and Reon King misjudged his line, Dinanath Ramnarine was undone by a signature slower ball, and Jimmy Adams was the last to go after he miscued a hook shot.

As a 10-year-old, the destroyer of the Windies used to delight in crashing the hard ball around the park, and often caused huge merriment and embarrassment when bowling against the adults in the net by slipping his medium-pace through someone's defence.

He dreamed of blazing innings and taking wickets for New Zealand, would fall asleep over tales of great battles, and one of his most revered teams was the West Indies. "They were my boyhood heroes," he said yesterday, after New Zealand had beaten the heroes by nine wickets to go one up in the two-test series.

"To play them is great but to perform like this against them and win - that makes it special."

Voted Wisden magazine's All-rounder of the Year after his exploits in England over the winter, Cairns took seven wickets for 27 - the third-best bowling performance by a New Zealander behind two Richard Hadlee games - as the West Indies were bowled out for 97 in their second innings.

He and Lance have now become the first father and son to each take 10 wickets in a test.

The future wasn't always so rosy, particularly during his stormy relationship with former coach Glenn Turner.

Cairns believes he is a far better player these days. "My bowling lacked consistency a few years ago, and consistency is something every sportsperson strives for."