Top sportsmen in role of proud fathers
PA Dunedin Five sons of present or former New Zealand sporting internationals are competing in the South Island primary schoolboys cricket tournament in Dunedin this week.
F e r g i e McCormick, Brian Hastings, Robin Archer, Keith Campbell and Lance Cairns have all represented New Zealand with distinction . at either rugby or cricket. This week, however, they are cast in the role of’proud fathers following the progress of their sons in the tournament at Logan Park. Andrew McCormick, aged 12, and Michael
Hastings, aged 14, are members of the Canterbury team.
The snowy-headed Andrew bears little physical resemblance to his father, Fergie, the famous former All Black full-back, but he has his father’s competitive attitude on the sports field. Andrew opens the bowling for Canterbury, and Fergie, a keen cricketer himself, is keenly interested in his progress. “I yell at him a bit when he starts to bowl short but I leave the real cricket coaching to the experts,” said Fergie yesterday. Andrew is a talented
all-round sportsman. He plays rugby at first fiveeighths for the Linwood Club, the club his father played for, and he won his school tennis championship last year. Fergie is keen to encourage his son at sport but he does not want Andrew to be over-coached. Michael Hastings, aged 14, is a fluent-stroking batsman who seems to have inherited much of the talent of his father, Brian, a regular New Zealand test batsman over the last decade.
Michael scored a century recently against a Lower Hutt schoolboys side and he will attend
Burnside High School this year. “I have two sons playing cricket and I try to follow both of them as much as I can,” Brian Hastings said. “It is much easier to get to watch them now that I have stopped playing representative cricket.”
Lesley Archer, aged 13, an all-rounder, is captain of the Eastern Southland side. He is the son of Robin Archer, the former All Black first fiveeighths. Robin Archer, who represented both Otago and Southland at rugby, was last month appointed coach of the Southland
rugby team for the coming season.
Lesley will attend Gore High School this year. He is a right-hand batsman and a slow-medium bowler.
Chris Cairns, aged 9, and Paul Campbell, aged 11, are members of the Otago B team. Chris, a pupil at the Musselburgh School, is, like his father, Lance, a medium-pace bowler. Lance Cairns, a New Zealand all-rounder since 1974, was an interested onlooker at Logan Park yesterday soon after his return from the Otago team’s northern tour.
“Dad has taught me all
I know about cricket,” Chris said.
Paul Campbell is also a medium-pace bowler. His father, Keith, represented New Zealand on two overseas tours and is one of the finest batsmen to play for Otago in the last decade.
“I want to go as far as I can in cricket,” Paul said forthrightly. All five fathers gained reputations in their respective sports for being positive in their approach.
If their sons prove to have the same aggressive outlook there ■ should be plenty of runs, wickets and fun at Logan Park this week.
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