KEY POINTS:
While Sir Richard Hadlee, now 55, spends the day surrounded by a cluster of awe-stricken young 'uns, poor Bryan Young faces a far more critical bunch.
The Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club team of 10-year-olds have just watched, eagle-eyed, as their coach plopped a fat, lazy ball straight up
into the air whence it was plucked by Tu Nu'uali'itia.
It's the second wicket in the ex-Black Caps vs ex-All Blacks fundraising cricket match for the Heart Children charity and Young's boys are delighted at his comeuppance.
Michael Wilson looks up at him, all innocent eyes.
"Bryan, you always tell us to keep the ball down. Why didn't you? What's happened to the rule?"
"Do as I say, not as I do," Young advises as he walks past.
The ex-All Blacks - a bit of a misnomer as present stars Ali Williams and Tony Woodcock were playing - included former players such as Eroni Clarke, Frano Botica and Ofisa Junior Tonu'u.
But the waiting cricketers take advantage of the rugby players being busy on the field to do a bit of sly sledging. Young said it was rough on the pitch, not helped by the scrutiny of his young team.
"It's a fantastic atmosphere out there. The sledging? I tell you, there was sledging out there. I had to have a word with the umps.
"Ali Williams was spouting it out. What do they say about rugby guys, all brawn and no brain? I don't know that, of course, I'm just asking. Some of those boys don't have any neck at all. Nah, it's all in good humour."
Dipak Patel gives Williams a taste of his own medicine, sending a ball flying over his outstretched arms to thunk somewhat loudly into the rapidly vacated chair of a spectator.
"You need your lineout lifters," sideline wit John Wilson hollers at Williams.
Sir Richard was expecting a few fireworks because top sportsmen were always competitive. "You don't want to go out there and embarrass yourself, do you?
"You hear a lot of talk that the rugby boys fancy themselves a bit. They are used to winning. But they can't get into the playing outfits because they're pretty big boys. It's our secret weapon. We expect to be a bit more agile in the field than them."
Simon Doull has also put on his pads for the occasion.
He reckons it's only his third game in the past three years and his game plan is to do "as little as possible".
"I'll need a physio after this. I'd rather be on the golf course these days."
He thinks it's all pretty fair. "The rugby boys will be pretty competitive. But if we were playing rugby against them, we'd want 10 points a try."
Williams managed the best bowling figures of the day, getting five wickets for 11 runs in just over three overs. But that competitive spirit didn't get the oval ball men far once the batting pads went on. The wickets fell so quickly, the cricketers let them go through the batting order twice to finish their 30 overs.
End result for the rugby side was the interesting 198 runs for 18 wickets against the cricketers' 201 all out. Now, that's just not cricket.
Sir Richard is a patron of Zipper Kidz, a club within Heart Children for those who have had heart surgery. The match was part of the Heart Kids 12 Days of Cricket campaign, organised by former Black Cap Rob Hart.
Hart's 11-month-old daughter, Lucy, has a rare heart condition and the appeal is to raise funds for a $160,000 echocardiogram.
As well as the charity match, the appeal includes a Trade Me auction beginning on February 14 including lunch with Sir Richard, having lawns mowed by Scott Styris, and a round of golf with Nathan Astle and Chris Harris.