Its the real bluecollar battlers that we like to see shine in sport
January 30th, 2008, 8:56 am Hobbies News
While theres something undeniably grand about watching sublimely talented artists like Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Ricky Ponting go about their work, we do tend to relate more to the grafters.
Theyre out there representing us, the weekend hackers.
Thats why opening batsman Mark Richardson became such a favourite, even though his scoring rate was painfully slow and his array of strokes so limited.
Spectators could identify with his struggles, and admired the way he never gave in.
A couple of admirable blue-collar workers, Matthew Bell and Marina Erakovic, have lit up the past few days. Bell, a prodigy as a teenager, was ushered into test cricket when he was just 21, and never quite made it, even though he hit a century against Pakistan.
So he was brushed aside by the national selectors in 2001 and a vast array of test opening batsmen were tried in his place, among them Matt Horne, Lou Vincent, Stephen Fleming, Hamish Marshall, James Marshall, Peter Fulton, Craig Cumming, Michael Papps, Mathew Sinclair and Jamie How.
Bell, a down-to-earth and rather understated individual, kept plugging away for Wellington, making piles of runs and hoping the selectors would look his way again.
They have this season, but then again they had no choice. Two 80s, a 188, a double-century and an top average.
How gratifying for Bell in the first test against Bangladesh that despite his top-order team-mates failing he was able to work away patiently and be rewarded with a comeback century.
Bell knows his game well. Hes not regal like Martin Crowe, or bullishly powerful like Craig McMillan, but he plays within his limitations, working the ball off his pads and occasionally opening up with an attractive drive or cut.
Bangladesh arent much chop as test opponents and New Zealand brushed them aside in Dunedin, but it was still a satisfying match because it enabled Bell to celebrate his overdue return to test cricket.
Erakovic had New Zealand tennis fans in raptures — and that hasnt happened much during the past 15 years — by charging into the semi-finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Along the way the 19-year-old Aucklander beat world No 62 Ashley Harkleroad and No 22 Vera Zvonareva.
Erakovic is a battler on court.
She is fit, covers a lot of territory and has a solid all-round game. She doesnt have intimidating serves like the Williams sisters or ground-strokes like Lindsay Davenport.
But she gets the job done by virtue of her fighting qualities and by rising to the occasion.
Like Bell, we see her scrapping and battling for her successes, and admire her all the more because of it.
She has been touted for the past three years as a coming talent.
Largely because of a succession of injuries, her career had stalled before her magic week in Auckland.
Now shes back on track, heading off with hope and increasing confidence to the Australian Open, her world ranking having risen to a career-best 139.
Related posts
