Kim Whittington, like all national teammates bar stand-in skipper Rod Smith, has never played at Clifton CC ground. Photo/file
Ask Kim Whittington what's special about playing over-60 men's cricket and he'll tell you it provides an opportune vehicle to visit places one seldom contemplates, among other things such as meeting new people and the camaraderie.
But tomorrow Whittington, fellow Central Districts representatives Grant McCarthy, of Hastings, Gordon Kuggeleijn, of Dannevirke, and Allan Pond, of Marton, will be representing their country in the equivalent age-group team to host their touring Australian counterparts in Hawke's Bay.
So what's the point of difference there for the Bay boys?
They'll be playing at the majestic Clifton Cricket Club ground at Te Awanga which they have never visited, let alone played on.
"I was going to play there for the Cornwall Masters team once but the game got rained out," he says. "But the good thing about it is the pitch — it's not grass, it's an artificial one," says Whittington before the 45-over match (batsmen retire at 50) starts at 11am.
With regular skipper Peter Nixon, a former Napier Old Boys' Marist player, nursing an Achilles injury, Rod Smith, of Auckland, will assume the mantle of captaincy and McCarthy will be making his debut.
Neither the Kiwis, bar Smith, nor the Aussies have played at Clifton before so there's no home advantage as such.
"I'm looking forward to it, actually, not having played there before, but I've seen what it's like," says Whittington of a venue that has hosted many celebrities, including the late Martin Crowe.
The 63-year-old corrections officer from Hastings says one of the Kiwi side's latest recruit is former Canterbury, Crusaders and Wallaby coach Robbie Deans, who played in the opening 50-over "test" match (no retirements) in Queenstown on February 24 as well as the second one in Christchurch on Wednesday last week. For the record, the Kiwis won the test by 18 runs but lost the "regional" match by 28 runs.
"We [CD] played Canterbury in the first one so he was lucky he didn't get to play us," says the wicket keeper/batsman after the six major districts played at the annual tournament in Hutt Recreational Park, Wellington, last month.
Gavin Chatfield, the younger brother of recently retired former New Zealand international Ewen, of Northern Districts, also is in the New Zealand side's mix.
The Aussies played another 50-over test match (no retirements) on Sunday, winning by five wickets.
Whittington is anticipating a well-drilled side will be sporting the Baggy Greens tomorrow.
"I'm expecting some really good spin bowlers but we'll see because they're very competitive."
The ding-dong battles have been close between the two countries over the years.
Whittington says in 2017 the Kiwis lost in the final to Victoria and last year they succumbed to New South Wales.
He and McCarthy are lucky their bodies are well tuned to the rigours of cricket because they play regularly for their Just Cabins Cornwall Lions team in the fourth grade.
"We put some of the others to shame in chasing balls and all that," says the bloke who opted for speedway at the prime of his career despite playing competitive cricket.
McCarthy says representing New Zealand is something he had never dreamt of.
"It doesn't matter if it's over-60s I still represent the country so I'm pretty thrilled with that," says the 64-year-old part-time software developer who arrived here from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1983 after marrying his Bay-born wife, Wendy (nee Cash).
The right-arm, first or second-change bowler comes in on the platform of having taken 5-10 against Auckland in Petone, Wellington, on February 7.
McCarthy, who is "very medium pace these days" and prefers the two-piece ball to a four-piece one, sees the Aussies as a good chance to raise his stakes even though he isn't part of the tour of Australia.
"I'm expecting some pretty good batsman at the top but as they're over-60s there'll probably be more slow bowling and the fielding may be a little up and down."
He says it'll be a privilege to deliver his slow-to-medium tight lines to the middle-order batsmen at Clifton.
"I've seen pictures of the venue in the paper when the celebrities have played there so, again, I never ever expected to grace the field at all and now I'm playing so I'm pretty chuffed, really," says the two-season CD over-60s rep who became a Cornwall CC cricketer as a member of the now defunct Whakatu Mahora club when it merged with Old Boys Hastings (Whittington's old club) to operate out of another picturesque location at Cornwall Park.
So what's McCarthy's secret to keeping his body so malleable?
"I would have to say for the grace of god," he says with a laugh. "I've had seasons where I didn't play through injuries but every opportunity I got I went back to play so you just keep going for as long as you can."
McCarthy says a few people have been threatening to watch them at Clifton but it remains to be seen what the turnout will be.
The Aussies play another 45-over regional affair at Mt Maunganui on Friday before a final 50-over "test" at University CC Merton Rd, Glen Innes, in Auckland on Sunday before jetting back home.