Streaker to sell season pass

From the roar of thousands of rugby fans to a small courtroom, it has been quite the journey for a first-time streaker.

Kenny Flintoff, 18, streaked across the field of Forsyth Barr Stadium in the dying minutes of the Highlanders v Chiefs match in Dunedin on Saturday night.

The Otago University student said he didn’t go to the match with the intention of streaking – ‘‘It was an in-the-moment kind of thing.’’

His ambition to tick streaking off his bucket list – coupled with a dare from his mates – prompted the former Whanganui man to bare all before almost 20,000 rugby fans.

When the crowd in the studentladen Zoo remained on their feet late in the game, a stripped-off Flintoff pounced.

Flintoff said he could hear the crowd roar when he took the pitch, and ‘‘that’s probably the biggest adrenaline rush you can ever get’’.

His plan was to aim for an exit at the opposite end of the pitch, and meet some friends at a nearby park. But as he outran the security guards and headed towards the ground’s exit he spied a makeshift police tent. ‘‘It would have been out of the frying pan and into the fire.’’

By then security guards tackled Flintoff, who was given a towel to wear as he was taken into custody.

Back at the Dunedin Police Station the towel was upgraded for some blue overalls, and he was slapped with a charge of behaving in a disorderly manner. Flintoff said his time in the cell ‘‘was quite cold’’.

Police kept him in custody until 3am because they didn’t want him ‘‘going to town and causing any more of a ruckus’’.

Flintoff appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday to receive a diversion and a meeting with a police officer next week.

As he was now banned from Forsyth Barr Stadium for a year he was looking to sell his season pass.

Flintoff said the experience had left him with new social media followers, many of whom appeared to be enjoying his mum’s posts.

On Facebook Silene Flintoff thanked the crowd for supporting him and the security guards for ‘‘giving him a big cuddle to keep him warm when he tripped up at the exit gate’’.