Young ones take over Hagley
All of a sudden at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, over a hundred schoolchildren entered the outer nets with placards bearing the words 'go Kiwi go' during New Zealand's training session on the eve of the second ODI yesterday.
The students of Red Cliffs School were there as part of a recreational activity tour to witness the stars they always watched on TV playing cricket for the country.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has provided the opportunity to the young kids to come and watch the training session and they spent some time with the likes of skipper Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Lockie Ferguson and others, which they were visibly delighted to have done.
It was a pleasant sight to watch the young kids taking the autographs of their heroes and asking questions as the cricketers full-heartedly interacted with the children, adding to the fine atmosphere.
One of the children who came up to Boult for an autograph said: “I want to bowl fast like you. Can you tell me how I can do that?”
The children's parents also took the opportunity to take a few photos with the cricketers and according to a NZC official, they wanted to introduce the young ones to the cricket culture of the Kiwis.
“Normally, the children only watch their heroes play cricket on TV. We decided to provide these young kids the opportunity to meet their heroes so that they could learn and gain an interest in the game," James Bennett, the NZC official, told The Daily Star yesterday.
After completing the photograph and autograph session, the kids also took part in a game at the Hagley Oval where they got the rare enjoyment of playing cricket with the national heroes.
Cricket is not just a game for the Kiwis as it also teaches the young children to be disciplined and there seemed to be no better way to encourage the children to take an interest in the gentleman's sport, and use its lessons in their daily lives in order to be well-rounded human beings.
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