Mark Greatbatch lives only a short drive away from McLean Park but he wouldve walked miles to be here. Two men in their mid-20s were making history but Greatbatch,because of his association with them since their pre-teen days,refers to them as kids. The conversation with New Zealands 1992 World Cup hero is frequently interrupted since Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder,during a 271-run stand,hit several strokes that the duos one-time coach sees all the way to the fence,lunging from the media-box window. Greatbatch has seen several such partnerships between the two in age-group matches at Nelson Park across the road,but never in Napiers only Test ground. Its a great feeling to watch them play today. When I first saw them I thought that they would both play for New Zealand one day. Though they took different paths,theyve got there, he says. Tracking their paths unravels rags-to-riches stories that are also a rare cricketing high for two communities more famous for their rugby exploits. Taylor is half Samoan,from his mothers side,while Ryder has Maori blood in him. In a nation with a limited talent pool,crickets inroads into an unlikely strata of society is reason enough to celebrate. Taylor-made For Napier,in particular,Thursday was special. They had organised a raffle in the city to raise money when Taylor,then only 12 years old,had to be taken as a boarder at a school with a famous cricketing tradition. Greatbatch starts the story: Ross was 12 when I first met him. Id gone to Wairarapa to play a first-class game,and he came to me and said that he wanted to be the 12th man. I told him that he could do the scores and he agreed. He would come in during drinks with gloves,and this very nice,polite boy stayed with us for all four days. I took him out for some batting one night and I saw that he was a strong hitter of the ball. So impressed was Greatbatch that he asked the Taylors to shift their son from Wairarapa to Napier,where he could get a better education and an opportunity to pursue top-level cricket. They thought for five minutes and agreed, recalls Greatbatch. But the familys modest financial resources were an obstacle. We had to find money for him to stay at the school. Central District Cricket and I helped him and some people did a raffle for him, says Greatbatch. Easy Ryder Things were different for Ryder,since he had already moved from Wairarapa to Napier with his family. Schooling wasnt a problem but we had to find some job for him because he came from a modest,unstable family. He worked on a farm near Napier for a while, says Greatbatch,who remembers an age-group game where the left-hander hit 260 and played like a man let loose in a boys game. Things changed as the turmoil in Ryders home forced him to move to Wellington. His is a rare talent but there are other things. So I told him that you need to go to some other place to sort things out. I didnt sack him,he made the decision. That was the best thing that he couldve done then, says Greatbatch. The distance made the coach and his star pupil drift apart. Today,Greatbatch talks about Taylor frequently dropping in at his home for dinner and playing cricket with his kid but there are no stories about Ryders visits. It also points to a contrast between the two boys from Wairarapa. Taylor is considered to be balanced,a role-model not just for his community but for the kids who follow the game,while Ryder is seen as a wild child. The two also have contrasting styles at the crease. As was evident on the field on Thursday,Taylor is instinctive while Ryder is more copy-book and solid. Greatbatch attributes Taylors success to his amazing hand-speed,which helps him play late,but also forces him to hurry into shots. About Ryder,Greatbatch highlights his ease at the wicket. Look at him,he belongs to this place.
