Never mind the result, just sit back and enjoy the cricket
“I put it like this. If you lived in England 20 years, and New Zealand for 60, and the All Blacks were playing England at Twickenham, who would you support?” Dorothy Brewer, 81
Whether you’re in your 80s with a lifetime of watching cricket, in your 20s with dreams of wicket-taking glory, or skipping a half-day of school to see top-level sport, there was only one place to be in Nelson yesterday.
Saxton Oval hosted the second women’s T20 International between New Zealand and England. The forecast showers stayed away, and while it was a small crowd, those who turned up enjoyed pleasantly mild conditions and quality cricket.
The result almost didn’t matter – especially if you were a Kiwi fan. New Zealand did well to restrict England to 149, but a mid-innings collapse left them 15 runs short.
For 22-year-old identical twins Anna and Kate Gaging, who play representative cricket for Nelson and Central Districts, the chance to watch such a high-calibre match in their own backyard was fantastic.
England are the second-ranked T20 team in the world, with New Zealand fourth.
Kate Gaging, who also coaches girls’ cricket, said seeing the standard of the players up close helped give young players something to aspire to.
The twins were also cheering on their Central Districts team-mate Rosemary Mair, who performed well for the White Ferns with the ball, snaring two wickets.
Anna Gaging also got the chance to bowl at White Ferns and English players in the nets along with other young Nelson players on the eve of the match, an experience she said was invaluable.
She is planning to get more experience in Ireland this year. And who knows, in a not too distant summer, she may be stepping out on to the familiar grass of home with her Kiwi team-mates.
Dorothy Brewer, 81, had a prime spot high on the bank in her wheelchair. A St George flag was draped over her knees, a legacy of her 60 years living in England before moving to New Zealand 20 years ago.
“I put it like this. If you lived in England 20 years, and New Zealand for 60, and the All Blacks were playing England at Twickenham, who would you support?”
She has been watching cricket since she was 8. Her father was a member of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) and she has enjoyed test matches in the hallowed surrounds of Lord’s.
But she said Saxton Oval was right up there in terms of its setting and intimate atmosphere – apart from the blasts of loud music between overs. She encouraged more people to go to tomorrow’s match, when the White Ferns take on England again at Saxton Oval from 1pm, with the weather forecast to be partly cloudy.