Milestone achievement in Ha¯wera colours
The love of the game and a good group of players is the driving force behind Robert Northcott’s cricketing achievement.
On Saturday, the 28-year-old notched up 200 premier matches for the Ha¯wera United Cricket Club in the opening round of the Alpha Sport one-day competition.
Northcott was bowled over by his achievement.
‘‘I love it, yeah, I don’t know what else to say,’’ he said.
In his 14th season for the club, he said there had been a few standout moments. Last year, he scored 98 against New Plymouth Marist United in a Twenty20 match, which was ‘‘pretty good’’.
‘‘I also scored a couple of hundreds against Francis Douglas [four seasons ago].’’
Northcott was also a left-arm spinner for Taranaki in 2012/13, but now he is more focused on his batting.
Ha¯wera cricket manager Kerry ‘Chook’ Fowler said there are not many Taranaki cricketers who could match Northcott’s contribution. ‘‘Whether it’s on the field as a hard-hitting left-hand bat and left-arm off-spinner, or off the field volunteering time at the club, I can always rely on Rob to front up,’’ he said.
Northcott has stepped up this season to lead the Ha¯wera side and Fowler said he had every confidence that he will do well.
Teammate Liam Heibner played in his 100th match on Saturday. The milestone was memorable, with Ha¯wera beating New Plymouth Boys’ High School by seven wickets at Webster Field.
Northcott contributed with the ball late in the first innings. He claimed two for 13 off 10 overs with three maidens. In the run chase, he opened the batting and powered through to score 42 off 25 balls in under half an hour, a strike rate of 168. It included three sixes and five fours.