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Sports correspondent & historian with |
Passion and success are often used in the media to describe the high drama of cricket and other sports.
They can also be used to describe personal achievements, where passion drives success and success fuels that passion.
The start of the Bay of Plenty Cricket senior representative programme this weekend provides a fitting opportunity to tell the stories of three Bay of Plenty players who stand among the region’s greatest achievers since the first representative match in 1932.
The mantle of most appearances in Bay of Plenty colours belongs to Peter Drysdale, who became player No 498 when he was selected for the opening day of the Northern Districts One-Day Tournament in November 2009.
Drysdale signed off last season with 142 appearances, well ahead of Bharat Popli, who sits second on the all-time list with 106 representative caps.
Drysdale’s Bay of Plenty record includes 4262 runs, featuring three centuries and a highest score of 119. Over the years, Drysdale also developed into a genuine allrounder, taking 92 wickets.
At the top of the Bay of Plenty Cricket Association bowling honours list sits Derek Beard, who was allocated player No 345 when he walked on to Smallbone Park in Rotorua for a match against Hamilton on January 10, 1981.
Beard remains the only Bay bowler to have taken more than 200 wickets, with 204 recorded in the BOPCA record book. He claimed six wickets or more in an innings on five occasions, with best figures of seven for 50.
While the 1980s produced a host of outstanding performers for Bay of Plenty, including Andy Roberts, Lance Cairns, Geoff Howarth, John Derrick, Bruce Blair and David White, there was arguably no finer allrounder than Beard.
Beard’s achievements with the bat were almost as impressive as his bowling record. He scored 2843 runs, including four centuries, with a highest score of 135.
Few players have been busier in Bay of Plenty colours than Bharat Popli (player No 494). The Tauranga Boys’ College First XI graduate, who went on to play more than 100 professional matches for Northern Districts, also amassed 106 Bay of Plenty representative appearances.
Words such as preparation, planning, opportunity and exceptional talent begin to describe Popli at the crease, willow in hand, wearing the blue and gold uniform.
His statistics are staggering when in full flow.
A total of 4528 runs only tells part of the story, which includes 14 centuries and a highest score of 191. Other achievements include scoring 733 runs during the 2013-14 season and sharing Bay of Plenty’s highest partnership of 269 with Blair McKenzie (165 not out) five seasons ago.
The current crop of young representative talent that Bay of Plenty coach Jono Boult will assemble for 13 representative matches this season needs no greater motivation for cricketing success than reflecting on the achievements of Drysdale, Popli and Beard.