Cross-code clash pays tribute to Kiwi icons
Families give backing to Lomu-Crowe event
The New Zealand cricket and rugby players’ associations are set to be the big winners of the Black Clash, with the two organisations to share a six-figure donation.
The associations were guaranteed a minimum of $50,000 each, while Cystic Fibrosis New Zealand will also benefit from an in-ground collection and programme sales.
The event, which pits a team of elite cricketers against top level rugby players in a game of T20 cricket, has been two years in the making, and Duco Events director David Higgins said the sums donated to the NZCPA and NZRPA would be allocated to various player welfare needs.
The teams will be playing for the Lomu-Crowe trophy, unveiled yesterday and named in honour of late Kiwi sporting legends Jonah Lomu and Martin Crowe.
There has been some media, and social media, backlash with pundits saying a trophy for a contrived game of hit and giggle is not the best way to honour two great sportsmen.
Higgins said he believed it was a fitting tribute to the iconic talents.
“Both Martin and Jonah were men whose achievements transcended the sports field,” he said. “So to be able to honour them even in a small way by naming the T20 Black Clash the Lomu-Crowe trophy just feels right.”
The Crowe and Lomu families have given their blessing to the trophy created by New Zealand artist Shane “Spud” Dudley. Based on the design of a Maori adze, it features a greenstone blade with steel and copper wire binding.
Some critics have compared the trophy with a tombstone.
All Blacks wing and global rugby star Lomu died of a heart attack related to his kidney disease in November 2015, aged 40. Former New Zealand cricket captain Crowe, who had a long battle with cancer, passed away in March 2016, aged 53.
With the Black Clash being a commercial event, every entity involved is being compensated for their time and effort, including the players taking part in the match.
“From the suppliers, the contractors, we’re paying tax to the New Zealand Government, the employees involved,” Higgins said, “and the players making themselves available are getting a small amount. It certainly doesn’t represent their time. The beauty of it is everyone wins.”
The event is the product of some brainstorming between Higgins and Fleming. “We managed to get the commitment of the players’ associations and they managed to get commitment from some very big names,” Higgins said.
The match is at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on January 25 and will be broadcast on TVNZ 1.