NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Cricket / Cricket World Cup

Matt Heath: Closed bars turn cricket ecstasy into despair

Matt Heath
By Matt Heath
Newstalk ZB Afternoons host·NZ Herald·
29 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

For the fans, the Black Caps' win on Tuesday was emotional and beautiful - the highest of highs. Photo / Nick Reed

For the fans, the Black Caps' win on Tuesday was emotional and beautiful - the highest of highs. Photo / Nick Reed

Matt Heath
Opinion by Matt Heath
Newstalk ZB Afternoons host
Learn more
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Search for watering hole to celebrate success proves sadly futile.

Auckland needs more bars open late, not fewer.

Every other day we hear passionate calls for alcohol restrictions. Fewer bars, fewer bottle stores, shorter hours and bigger drink-free zones. The idea is simple. Make it really hard for people to get booze and they'll drink less. This is all very well but what happens when I want to go out for a late-night drink?

The Cricket World Cup semifinal between the Black Caps and South Africa was a tense affair. To quote Eminem, "Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There's vomit on his sweater already, Mom's spaghetti."

I couldn't watch for most of it. I found myself huddled under a desk with my hands over my ears and my eyes clenched shut. That was problematic because I was calling the game for the Alternative Commentary Collective. Hard to tell people what's happening in a game when you are too scared to look at it. Luckily relief was on its way.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When Grant "The Hairy Javelin" Elliott smashed Dale Steyn over cow corner for six the room erupted. My colleagues exploded into mad jubilance, jumping and hugging and dancing and screaming. Big stinky men in their 30s cuddling and yelping like little girls at a slumber party. It was emotional and beautiful. We were on the highest of highs. Years of pain and hurt released in a millisecond of pure cricketing ecstasy. I was so happy and proud. It was very similar to the way I felt when my sons were born.

Ahh the Hairy Javelin. At that moment it didn't matter if we won the final or not, we had witnessed heroics and history. Everyone in that room knew that with hearts beating hard we would not be getting any sleep any time soon. The Black Caps were in the final and it was the greatest feeling in the world. After 20 minutes of hand slapping, table flipping and man-on-man sports fan dry-humping, the team decided to do what all right-minded people would do, wet that Black Caps victory with a few quiets.

After waiting for a taxi for so long we all converted to Uber, we finally arrived at the Northern Steamship Company at Britomart. I was so excited to get a drink. To honour the team. To clink glasses with best buddies and say "how good was that?". But the unthinkable happened. We had missed last drinks and the place closed. I don't blame the bar, they were just following the law. Keeping to their licence. Punishments for breaking booze rules are brutal.

We found ourselves turfed out on to the street thirsty and deflated. The Elliott high slowly slipped away from us. A full hour had passed since the great moment and we hadn't even honoured it with a drink. A group of passionate fans essentially disrespecting their team with dryness.

We were not alone. The streets were packed with poor lost cricket wraiths looking for a place to celebrate. But nowhere was open. Nothing happening. That night New Zealand's biggest and most exciting city turned its back on its people and closed down when it was needed most. We passed bar after bar with chairs on tables. Joy had turned to disaster, desolation and despair. Finally, and thankfully, we found an oasis. More accurately, a low-rent betting bar. We grabbed a table and bought ourselves bottles and bottles of bubbles and beers but it was too late. The moment was gone. We all slunk off home to our families feeling abandoned by our city.

I can only imagine what tourists to our shores think of the closed bar situation. Arriving in their thousands flush with cash only to find the city closed. We must be missing out on millions in hospo dollars. Beautiful country, great people but where's the party at?

Discover more

Opinion

Matt Heath: Horror of war hard to fathom from idyllic NZ

01 Mar 04:00 PM
Opinion

Matt Heath: Superstars of cricket for the next generation

08 Mar 04:00 PM
Opinion

Matt Heath: Size really does matter if you are a dog owner

15 Mar 04:00 PM
Opinion

Matt Heath: Don't follow rules or laws just because they exist

22 Mar 10:40 PM

Yet some still push for tighter restrictions. Hunting down pubs, bars and family-owned bottle stores like poachers hunt white rhinos.

To those of you who fight to shut bars and shorten hours I know you believe in your heart that you are doing good. But please pause and spare a thought for the damage you do the community. The pain you inflict on those of us who drink to honour the successes of New Zealand heroes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When something truly good happens in this country we Aucklanders deserve the chance to celebrate long and hard into the night in the city we love so dearly.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Cricket World Cup

White Ferns

White Ferns hold nerve to beat West Indies, advance to World Cup final

18 Oct 05:27 PM
White Ferns

Devine and Bates set for ninth consecutive T20 World Cup

10 Sep 02:06 AM
Cricket World Cup

India win T20 World Cup to end silverware drought, Proteas choke again

29 Jun 06:20 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Cricket World Cup

White Ferns hold nerve to beat West Indies, advance to World Cup final

White Ferns hold nerve to beat West Indies, advance to World Cup final

18 Oct 05:27 PM

The White Ferns have remarkably reached the final.

Devine and Bates set for ninth consecutive T20 World Cup

Devine and Bates set for ninth consecutive T20 World Cup

10 Sep 02:06 AM
India win T20 World Cup to end silverware drought, Proteas choke again

India win T20 World Cup to end silverware drought, Proteas choke again

29 Jun 06:20 PM
India skittle defending champions to book final berth

India skittle defending champions to book final berth

27 Jun 08:24 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP