Willow's Cricket Club Dinner Address

I commence by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the evening (Sign)

May I specifically acknowledge you: Justice John Hansen, President of The Willows Cricket Club; Father Paul Martin, Deputy Rector of St Bede's College; New Zealand cricketing greats, Sir Richard Hadlee and John Wright; Iain Gallaway, former President of NZ Cricket; Justin Vaughan, CEO of NZ Cricket; Michael Dormer, Founder of the Willows Cricket Club; Malcolm Ellis, Master of Ceremonies for this evening; Distinguished Guests, and most importantly of all, the young cricket players here tonight.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and myself to attend the Willows Cricket Club Dinner this evening.

The opportunity, as a member of this club, arises to outline some thoughts about the game of cricket and in particular its role, and that of sport, in the development of New Zealand's young people.

For me, one of the abiding memories of childhood in that of being at Eden Park in Auckland in March 1956 when, as a 12-year-old, I watched cricket history being made in this country.

On that day—after having waited 26 years—New Zealand won its first ever test match. While the significance of the achievement was probably lost on me, the excitement of being one of several thousand people to swamp the ground to congratulate the New Zealand heroes remains with me to this day.

Thanks to the Weekly News part of the New Zealand Herald, I have photographic evidence of this moment in my life.  A few days later it published a picture of a diminutive Anand Satyanand walking excitedly across the ground with hundreds of other fans.

The legendary West Indies side (containing the 3 W's, Weeks, Walcott and Worrall) was New Zealand's opposition that day. It was their second tour here and they had already wrapped up the four test series by winning the first three games.  This fact was, of course, quickly, and conveniently, forgotten by the New Zealand public.

From that moment, New Zealanders gained new sporting heroes, and cricket rose in popularity as the backyard game of choice for thousands of children across the country. I was among those many and I know that my wife Susan's family were likewise.

Through my school years I was one who played cricket, with more enthusiasm than skill, for both school and club teams. My early involvement has made cricket one of the New Zealand sporting codes that I still follow avidly.

There are few other games in the world that can command the attention of an audience for more than six hours in a day. The joy of cricket, however, is that complete attention is not required for the entire time—particularly if you are at the match itself.  You free to take in other aspects of the experience, whether it be chatting to fellow spectators, or enjoying the sun, the surroundings and in that New Zealand pastime of having "a few quiets".

During the last two decades, cricket has expanded its following beyond just Commonwealth countries and to enter a globalisation phase. There are now 97 countries represented on the ICC and despite there being a large disparity in ability between the majority of these nations and the top ten ranked sides, the game can only continue to grow stronger in the future.

The development of new formats has done much to broaden the game's appeal. Most notable is, of course, the rise of twenty-twenty cricket. The condensed format has proven popular in New Zealand with after-work crowds, for example, and for those who do not wish to sit for long hours. With this format, the game takes on a truly electric atmosphere.

Despite the growing appeal of twenty-twenty, all formats maintain merit. While the one-day match provides a day out for the family, the five-day test match provides the most noble challenges to teams, and continues to be enjoyed by ardent cricket followers.  The strategy and tactics needed to win such a drawn out affair are quite unique in sport.

Some of the students from Wellington College who are here tonight, will know of the plaques cemented into the path around the Capital's Basin Reserve.  The identical plaques celebrate, in great detail, the several records that occurred in a test match between New Zealand and Sir Lanka in February 1991, including NZ's highest test score (671-4), the highest score by a New Zealander (299 to Martin Crowe), the highest score at the Basin Reserve, and the world record for any wicket, in a partnership between Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones of 467 runs (in 548 minutes). Aravinda de Silva's 267 was also the highest score by a Sri Lankan.

And then, after all that glorious detail, it ends: "Match Drawn." Only in cricket could such an outcome be celebrated.  My predecessor from nearly 50 years ago, Lord Cobham, who was a keen cricketer and sportsman, put it well in a speech to a cricket dinner in Dunedin in 1961 when he said:

"Every side likes to win, and it is futile hypocrisy to deny it.  One takes the field with the idea of outplaying one's opponents. But, in cricket at least, there is an unwritten law that one must never play up to the margin of the rules.  It is a game so terribly easily spoilt; men of mean spirit can make it wilt within half an hour, just as, conversely, the magnanimous gesture makes it flower in its full glory."

Where the game has been played to the margin of the rules, it has been to the long-term detriment, not only to those who have employed them, but also to a deeper spirit of the game and sportsmanship. 

Sport, and in particular cricket, teaches many important values, and particularly for young people.  It tests a player's physical stamina, as well as their mental adroitness. 

It is a game of skill and strategy.  Brute force may bring quick boundaries but, like the story of the hare and the tortoise, a less strong, but more skilful player will almost always get more runs and maintain a lengthier stay at the crease.  At pivotal points in a five-day match, time at the crease is often just as important as runs on the board.

The nature of cricket is that it quickly produces heroes. And it can, just as quickly, cut them down. A surge in form can be followed rapidly by a slump after a couple of bad performances. Anyone who has played cricket, will attest to the importance of mental strength. So while watching cricket can be a relaxing affair for the spectator, the game itself requires continued application of mental strength.

Like all team sports, cricket also celebrates values such as fair play, team participation and leadership.  They are values that apply not only in sport, but continue to be sorely needed in business and the community.

The last one mentioned—leadership—is the subject of much debate. In discussing leadership, it is important to distinguish between leaders and leadership qualities.  While not everyone's career will see them be a mayor, prime minister, chief executive, or governor-general for that matter, everyone can exhibit leadership. 

Key leadership qualities include an ability to listen, to be professional in dealing with others, and to display integrity, honesty and respect.  Leaders need to keep their feet on the ground and to recognise that it is their purpose to serve.  Team captains who fail to display these values rarely last long. 

Leadership can take many forms.  Throughout the year, there are investiture ceremonies at the Government Houses in Wellington or Auckland where the Governor-General confers on behalf of Her Majesty, to recognise those who have achieved in commerce, community, public service or sport.  Some of those achievements are at a local level whilst others are at the national or international level.  All, however, have shown leadership.  A fine example this present year is that of Ruben Wiki, the most capped rugby league player in history, upon whom I conferred the Insignia of an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit in Auckland in September. 

Another quality of leadership is courage.  In July, I had the privilege to confer the first Victoria Cross for New Zealand on Corporal Willy Apiata at a special investiture ceremony.  He received this award for outstanding gallantry, courage and leadership in rescuing a seriously wounded colleague in Afghanistan in 2004.  His courageous deeds, in placing the life of a comrade—a mate—before his own, are an inspiration to everyone.

Courage need not, however, be a quality confined to the battlefield.  In a recent book, the new British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has written eight essays about people who have displayed courage—people such as Martin Luther King Jnr and Nelson Mandela.  In saying that courage is the greatest of all virtues, Gordon Brown wrote as follows:

"All of us value duty, honesty, kindness, humility, responsibility, integrity but none of these can exist without courage." As Winston Churchill said: 'Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.'"

Having the courage of one's convictions includes holding fast to values—such as honesty, justice and ethical conduct—and if necessary in the face of others who would give expediency a higher priority.

In conclusion then, a challenge which I offer this evening is for people to take the values that make cricket such a wonderful game and to apply them generally to your lives.  Those who play hard, but play fair, in whatever sphere, will always be valued against those who "play at the margins of the rules".  But most of all, enjoy a game that has brought satisfaction and joy for two hundred years.

On that note, I will close with another quote from Lord Cobham, who in commenting on a forthcoming test series by an MCC side, called for us to remember why we play sport.  Cobham said:

"As a New Zealander, I am naturally anxious to see my side win; as an ex-President of the MCC, I hope that they will never win by more than one run or one wicket.  But win, lose or draw, I know that both sides will play this lovely game for the only reason that any game is worth playing—and that is for fun."

And on that heartening note I will close.  I started in all the New Zealand languages, I will finish just in Maori issuing greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa