‘Naenae Express’ calls it a day
Ewen Chatfield, aka The Naenae Express, has finally run out of steam.
The 68-year-old on Saturday played his last game of cricket for his beloved Wellington club Naenae Old Boys.
But his hopes of a first ever century eluded him one final time – he was out first ball for a ‘‘golden duck’’ .
Although best known as a miserly bowler, he made little secret of his desire to score a century.
His career finished at the same place where it started in February 1968, Naenae Park.
On Saturday, batting at 11 for a lower grade side against Eastern Suburbs, he could not better his top score of ‘‘50 something’’ against Eastbourne many years ago. ‘‘I got a golden duck but don’t put that in the paper,’’ he said afterwards.
Earlier, an emotional Chatfield fought back tears as he said that after playing for the New Zealand over 60s in Australia last year, he knew it was the end.
‘‘I have standards, even at 68, and if I can’t play to those standards I thought it is time to flag it.’’
But he went out on a high. Naenae looked well beaten but recovered for a ‘‘fantastic win’’ over Eastern Suburbs. ‘‘We needed seven off the last over chasing 236 and we got it off the last ball.’’
As modest as ever, Chatfield told his club mates he was retiring only after the game. ‘‘I feel all right, having a win helps.’’
The man ironically known as ‘‘Chatty’’ (he is a man of very few words) rose to prominence opening the bowling for New Zealand alongside Sir Richard Hadlee.
He is remembered fondly by fans as a bowler with unnerving accuracy, who always gave 100 per cent and played in a New Zealand team many fans rate as our best.
It was not his bowling, however, that first made Chatfield a household name. In 1975, he made one of the most dramatic test debuts in international sport.
Playing an England team that had suffered a mauling in Australia, Chatfield strode to the wicket with New Zealand nine for 140.
A tailender with few pretensions as a batsman, Chatfield teamed up with Geoff Howarth to defy the English attack for 44 runs.
In an era where there were no helmets, English seamer Peter Lever decided the best way to remove the tailender was a bouncer. Unable to get out of the way, Chatfield was knocked unconscious after suffering a sickening blow to the head.
The image of a prone Chatfield went all over the world and led to a debate about the rights and wrongs of bowling bouncers at tailenders. He recovered and went on to play for Wellington and New Zealand for the next decade.
Chatfield never stopped playing for his beloved Naenae. He continued trundling medium pacers on Naenae Park and often played in veterans tournaments.
Perhaps his greatest cricketing achievement came not for New Zealand but for Wellington at the Hutt Rec.
Chatfield destroyed a powerful West Indies side featuring Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Lawrence Rowe and Michael Holding, taking 13 wickets.