Former cricket captain slips in to sign book
Loyal fans line up to meet sporting idol Ross Taylor
Former New Zealand cricket captain Ross Taylor stopped in at Paper Plus in Levin last week to sign copies of his new autobiography Black & White.
The 38-year-old had some loyal fans who were lined up inside and outside the bookstore in anticipation of his arrival.
Among those queued were Hamilton couple David and Patty Sheterline, who were staying locally for a week and jumped at the chance to meet their sporting idol.
David Sheterline is a selfconfessed cricket fanatic and said Ross Taylor is his favourite player.
“I love cricket. I’ve followed Ross Taylor since the day he started,” he said.
“I loved watching him bat. He was unorthodox and not typical in the way he played.”
So, would he go straight home and tuck into the book? “I’ve read it already,” he said. “I’m just getting it signed, and I’ve bought another one for my Dad. He’s my Dad’s favourite player too.”
The book was released a fortnight ago amid controversy, as in it Taylor claims to have been the victim of racism at times during his career. What might have tried to pass
as banter landed with a thud.
“Let me be clear: I don’t think for one minute that they were coming from a racist perspective. I think they were insensitive and lacked the imagination and empathy to put themselves in the other person’s shoes,” he said.
“What to them is a bit of harmless banter is actually confronting for the targets because it tells them they’re seen as being different. Instead of
the message being ‘You’re one of us, mate,’ it is, in effect, ‘You’re one of them’.”
A New Zealand Cricket spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald newspaper that the national body “deplores racism, is a staunch supporter of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission’s Give Nothing to Racism campaign and is deeply disappointed Ross has been exposed to this type of behaviour”.