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Behind the Stumps

with Chris Rapson, CEO, Bay of Plenty Cricket

We kick off the first edition of Behind the Stumps in 2017, with a chat with Chris Rapson, who is settling in to his role as Bay of Plenty Cricket CEO. Chris has long and distinguished banking and commercial backgrounds and a lifetime of involvement with cricket as a player, coach and longtime administrator. 
 
In 2010, over 30 years of voluntary service to cricket was recognized, when Chris was presented with the ICC centenary medal, which was one of 1000 given out amongst the 104 ICC member countries. The medals, of which just fifty were awarded to New Zealand, were given for exceptional voluntary cricket service. 
 
When and where did you first pick up a bat and ball as a youngster?
My first recollection of playing cricket was as a school boy at Wairakei Primary School in Christchurch. Although we received very rudimentary coaching from a teacher we were largely left to our own devices. I remember playing at “Hospital Corner” on South Hagley Park one Saturday morning and one of my team mates told us that President Kennedy had just been assassinated. I guess that dates me somewhat!

Secondary school for me was at Waitaki Boys’ High in Oamaru and at Waimea College in Richmond near Nelson. While at Waimea College we received tuition one day from the “Rothman’s Sports Foundation” in the form of Bert Sutcliffe, and the great All Black, Don “The Boot” Clarke. Bert took us for batting and wicket keeping and Don took batting and bowling. It wasn’t until later on that I realized the great deeds that these two had performed on the international stage for New Zealand.

It is no longer politically correct to mix sport and the tobacco industry together but both Don and Bert left a really strong memory in me. Bert bounced a cricket ball on the edge of a bat for minutes while talking to us without missing it; he reckoned that if you could bounce the ball on a bat edge more than 500 times without dropping it you were beginning to concentrate fully!
 
Tell us about your age-group cricket days?
At secondary school I played in the Second XI team at Waitaki BHS and we played inter school fixtures against Christchurch Boys’ High School, Timaru and Otago Boys’ High School and against the First XI teams from secondary schools in the smaller towns (Waimate, Temuka, etc). It would be fair to say we were very keen but needing guidance!  

My last secondary school cricket was at Waimea College, where I captained the 1st XI Team in interschool matches against Marlborough Boys’ College, Cashmere High School and others which was a lot of fun.
 
Tell us about your senior club cricket?
After leaving school I initially lived and worked in Murchison where we played in the Waimea & Nelson Districts cricket competition. The cricket was all limited to 50 overs and we travelled big distances to play. Takaka was our furthest away game; about 150 miles each way. We had a very good player in our team (Peter Winter) who played for CD colts, but apart from him there were few stars. Most of the players were in their 30’s, it seems that everyone had more time for cricket in the days before weekend trading. Our home ground in Murchison was interesting in that we played on a coconut matting wicket. The good thing about coconut matting wickets was once you prepared the track at the beginning of the season, there was nothing further to do! 

When I moved to Wellington in the early 1970’s I played lower grade cricket for a Karori team who made an annual trek to Murchison. It was a very social side but played some good cricket against some good sides. Johnsonville was one such team and one of their team members was former NZ test player John Beck. He could really play and it was sad to see his demise at an early age. 

I moved to Christchurch in 1976 and played for Burnside West Christchurch in their “Suburban” team. This was afternoon cricket and was looked upon as the poor cousin of “real” cricket that was the Canterbury Cricket Association metropolitan competition. There were a lot of trades people in this competition who simply could not start their Saturday sport before 1:00pm but some of them were excellent cricketers and the odd one represented Canterbury at First Class level.  Former NZ Test Captain Graham Dowling played a few games for us and complained that “Suburban” Cricket was too hard for him as he couldn’t score runs in our competition! It was at Burnside where I received some coaching and tuition in captaincy. Al Brown was a great coach; he had played for Queensland and Canterbury and he really knew what it was about. I would have liked to have known Al 10 years earlier; I learnt so much from him.   

Back in those days we all played cricket in the summer and rugby in the winter and unfortunately at that time I suffered a back injury playing rugby that required surgery and which put paid to any hopes I had of playing sport at a higher level. I moved to Auckland in 1982 and played half a season for Ellerslie with their Dad’s Army team. Included in that side were many notables. This team had a great philosophy…….they invited a different schoolboy 1st XI captain to play for them each week and they made him a star for the day. They played very positive cricket and it was a great experience to rub shoulders with great players. Former Test players Mark Burgess and Terry Jarvis were members of that side as was another great name Tony Timpson who played First Class cricket but was a big wheel in business at that time. I found batting in Auckland much more enjoyable than in Canterbury; runs were not so hard to come by and the ball seldom bounced over knee height!  

Liz and I purchased a home on the North Shore and I commenced playing for Birkenhead City Cricket Club in early 1983. Birkenhead club was on the rise and over the next few years won the Auckland Cricket premiership four times. Dipak Patel came out to the club from Worcestershire in the summer and John Bracewell was also a key member of the team. The senior men’s team played outstanding attacking cricket and they appointed a young captain (Michael Clarke) as 19 or 20 year old and then supported him to the hilt. The older established Auckland clubs had no answer to this positiveness which it was great to be a small part of. I played and captained in the Senior grade (A level below the Premier competition) and we helped develop young up and comers who went on to do great things for the club and for Auckland. 

After a few years working in Samoa in the late 80’s I returned to Auckland club cricket for a season and we moved to Tauranga in 1990/1991. Initially I played for Greerton with Don and Colin Henderson, Bruce Martin and others but when we moved to Matua I hooked up with Albion Cricket Club based at Fergusson Park. Albion was battling hard to retain sufficient playing numbers but they had some fantastic players and were very competitive on their day. I played Reserve Grade for Albion and can say that I enjoyed my cricket in the Bay.
 
Who were some of characters that you played with and against in senior club cricket?
Rod Wealleans was a great stalwart of the game in Tauranga and was very active in the Grasshoppers Club. Although I didn’t play for them I was fortunate to be invited to travel with this team to play four matches on a cricket tour to Singapore and Malaysia. This took place in 1997, I scored a few runs against the Singapore CC on the Padang (this is a the main ceremonial ground in Singapore made famous by being the location of the signing of the surrender by the Japanese in WW2) and a few more against the Ceylon CC, which required quite a lot of celebration tempered by the news that Princess Diana has died that day. We were very well looked after by our hosts in all the places we went; we need to do more of this 
sort of thing. Rod was a great friend and a wonderful supporter of the game. His son Kyle played for ND and for New Zealand but his career was cut short by injury.

Robin Neal was a stalwart of Albion Cricket and remains a great supporter of many other clubs (hockey, golf etc.) and he has always had a positive approach to the game. Tony Wilson and Brett Williamson also provided some great performances for the club. John Gilbert was a great character of the game at Albion, a fine bowler himself he had a big hand in developing cricketers in the Bay and at ND. I guess these guys were past their prime when I arrived, but there were many very good players at college in Tauranga and most of them moved away for University education after school and were lost to the game here. 

The establishment of a multi-faceted University  campus in Tauranga cannot come soon enough for mine. Retaining our best talent while they attend University (and providing cricket for “out of town” students will help develop our game and players to a higher level.
 
When did you start coaching your son Ben?
I assisted Warner Barber at Burnside Club in Christchurch, with early season junior cricket preparations but became more heavily involved in coaching kids when we were in Auckland and even more so when we moved to Tauranga. 

Cricket for youngsters was semi-formal in those days in Tauranga and so Albion CC got organized to provide better cricket and coaching, we formed the Albion Junior Cricket Club and I became involved in Tauranga Junior Cricket & Bay of Plenty Junior Cricket. Our son Ben was schooled at St Mary’s and then at Tauranga Boys College. He would take the kids at Fergusson Park and I would give their parents tuition in managing games and coaching their teams. Together we ran several Level 1 coaching courses and we both obtained our Level 2-3 qualifications. 

The coaching qualification system has changed now and I understand that the coaching & associated qualifications are more technical and the process is more demanding all round. I coached and managed teams to Riverbend Tournaments and to ND Age group tournaments.  We organized the ND Under 16 tournament in Tauranga and also worked with Rotorua cricket who hosted the ND under 14 tournament. 

Attending tournaments around the ND region provided opportunities to see how other associations do their thing and to visit their best facilities. You also get to see the best young cricketers and develop a better understanding of relative skill levels. The tournaments I attended in various capacities were at the Harry Barker Reserve in Gisborne, Smallbone, Kuirau & Boord Park in Rotorua, Owen Delaney Park at Taupo, Tauranga Domain & Pemberton Park in Tauranga, Galloway Park in Hamilton, Weymouth Park at Counties Manukau, Kensington Park in Whangarei Northland, Morrinsville and Pohlen Park in Matamata. It was great working with our best young players and watching their development.
Is Ben still involved in the game today?
Ben is still involved in the game, he is currently teaching at St Thomas’s of Canterbury where he is their Master in Charge of Sport and he takes their 1st XI and 1st XV teams. He has a Bachelors’ Degree in Sport Coaching, is a Level 3 qualified coach, player coach for Riccarton CC in Christchurch and this year coached the Canterbury Under 19 team at the National Tournament with the assistance of Dayle Hadlee. 

He bowls pretty useful off breaks and is an early order batsman. He played several northern summers in UK and Holland which he really enjoyed and I guess that from his time in the game, there are not many have been active as long as he has. Unfortunately we have had only limited opportunities to see him play as an adult but he is keen to progress his coaching career and looks to have put together an impressive track record in the sport at all levels up to representative.   
 
How did you get involved as a volunteer administrator?
Initially I became a club committee member at Burnside West Christchurch and served on the Suburban Cricket Association there as well. It seemed the natural thing to do; if you aren’t able to play at the highest level yourself then try to make sure that the environment for those who can excel on the field is the best that it can be. Wherever I have played I have tried to put my weight behind the club, the players and management to get the best out of what we have. 

Being involved in cricket administration has provided me with many opportunities and I have worked with some excellent people, I have to say too that the skills I learned as a director at Bay of Plenty Cricket and Northern Districts’ Cricket have been really useful in my business life. Understanding the duties of a Director gives a very good insight into any business operation and so if anyone reading this is inclined to put themselves forward to help then my recommendation is to get involved; go for it!
 
Tell us about your volunteer roles with Bay of Plenty?
Initially my involvement was through Bay of Plenty Junior Cricket. Soon after the time when we brought the Senior & Junior bodies together I was appointed as a Director and then later was elected Chairman of BOPCA. I held that role until around 2011 when Gareth Parry succeeded me and then Richard Day our current Chairman took over.

Appointed as a trustee and elected to Chair the Bay Oval Trust at its inception. 
 
What other roles have you had in cricket administration?
I was a director of Northern Districts’ Cricket Association for about 10 years and stepped down in 2013.
 
Tell us about some of the greatest highlights of your volunteer administration roles?
Playing a small part in three key decisions at Bay of Plenty Cricket stand out for me as being hugely important in the development of BOP Cricket. 

The first of these was the employment of a development manager and we were really fortunate that David Johnston was available to take up the role at that time. Paul Hickson (Chairman of BOP Junior Cricket for a good while) and I shared a common view that it was time for the Junior Cricket Board of BOP Cricket to seek professional help with our junior player and coach development. We developed a budget and then a plan to raise the required funding. The parents of BOP junior cricketers ran with the plan and we were able to make it a reality. 

David laid the foundations for all the development programmes that we now enjoy and we now see the benefits of this decision, in the good numbers of good young cricketers achieving good things on the field around the Bay, for ND and for NZ Cricket. The work is never over and we need to keep a very real close focus on doing the best we can to provide high quality coaching, mentoring and encouragement of all cricketers. 
 
The second decision that I was part of was working towards amalgamating the Junior cricket body, with the Senior Men’s committee, which up to that point really was the primary group tasked with growing and maintaining cricket in the BOP. Their focus though was entirely on Fergus Hickey, ND competitions and the Hawke Cup. We had some great assistance from specially talented individuals, who helped us work through all the issues, until eventually it was all recorded and shared with Clubs and Sub Associations and Schools who liked the idea. Bay of Plenty Cricket Association became the umbrella organisation for all cricket in the Bay whether it was for Senior men and women or for our boys and girls cricket. At last we were one body with clear focus and with the ability to provide a seamless delivery of cricket to everyone in the Bay cricket family. 

Being one body also allowed BOPCA to attract the best available talent as directors of BOP Cricket and there have been and are some high quality people associated with Bay Cricket, rather than just a geographically representative board. Another spin off from this, was that our umpires association under the skillful hands of Peter Wright, developed to such a degree that we are able to stand two umpires at almost all senior games in the Bay. Other minor associations are very envious of this situation and we are fortunate to have Kevin Earl continue the good work with our BOP umpires and scorers.
 
These two key decisions were soon replicated in other provincial associations, when others saw the success that we had created and they do say that mimicry is the greatest form of praise for a job well done.
 
The third decision that I had a small hand in was the decision to develop a new Headquarters and cricket venue in the BOP. Up until that time BOP teams played “away” games every time they played.

We hosted visiting teams at Smallbone Park, at Te Puke Domain, at Pemberton Park, at Fergusson Park, at Blake Park, at the Domain in Tauranga and at other venues around the Bay. Whenever we travelled to other associations we played on their primary ground and this placed our teams at a huge disadvantage.

John Turkington was at that time the CEO of ND cricket and after another poor showing by ND in a Shell Series match at Blake Park, he announced that ND would not come back to the Bay unless we got a “decent” ground. This got us to thinking about the possibilities and we developed a serious plan of attack and approached the Tauranga City Council when Mayor Jan Benge was the incumbent, with the plan to convert a little used part of Blake Park into a purpose built cricket facility of International standard. We could not have been more successful and through the combined efforts and the loyalty to the cause of some key individuals, the Bay Oval was born and continues to develop.
We are really looking forward to the next stage of development of the facility with the addition of floodlights, construction of stage two of the pavilion, completion of suitable grounds man’s facilities and further work on the embankments and public facilities. Our original intention was for this to be the premiere “boutique cricket facility” in New Zealand and we are well on the way to achieving that.

Who would have thought back then that we would have hosted at the Bay Oval, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Bangladesh men’s teams, as well as all the countries who took part in the qualifying matches for the 2015 CWC (14 matches were played here at Bay Oval!) and not to mention hosting of NZ’s women’s matches against visiting teams from England etc. 

This year we are also hosting the Australian women’s team who are playing ODI’s against New Zealand’s White Ferns here in early March.    
 
What has been the best cricket moments that you have seen live as a cricket fan?
Watching Gary Sobers and Bishen Bedi on Lancaster Park in Christchurch, Sunny Gavaskar, Denis Lillee (off his long run up) and the Chappell brothers, Glenn Turner, Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe at various grounds. The four pronged pace attack from the West Indies blunted by stout resistance from our best batsmen of the era. 

The CWC semifinal last year at Eden Park against South Africa was probably the best sporting occasion I have ever witnessed. 

Watching BJ Watling win the 2nd test for us at Headingly in 2015 was also very special. He is the first NZ player to score a century there and he made it a big one! Kane Williamson notching up a century at Lords on that trip was also very special. The hat trick of ODI matches won against the Aussies in the Chappell Hadlee series when Stephen Fleming was captain was also a highlight.

I also remember New Zealand winning one of their first ODI’s at Lancaster Park where Warren Lees and Hadlee (I think?) scored the winning runs. At the time it was very exciting as the national team had previously played only test matches..  
 
Tel us about your involvement with the Bay Oval?
Bay of Plenty Cricket embarked on a far reaching study of all the options before deciding to create the new cricket HQ at Blake Park. 

I was fortunate in that I was involved in all the early planning and analysis and making presentations to various parties for support and funding etc. While I was an original Trustee alongside Paul Hickson and Neil Craig, appointing Kelvin Jones to be the General Manager of the Trust and Project Manager of the Bay Oval venue development was a key decision, made by the Bay of Plenty Cricket Board. 

Everyone who played a part in those early decisions takes much pride in what has been achieved to date, but anyone in the Bay who shares a love of cricket, owes a huge debt of gratitude to Kelvin for the quality venue he has created which in turn attracts such great events. The Bay Oval is and will continue to be an economic driver in this region and all who live here get a benefit from it. Many people from outside cricket have commented to me that they take great pride in seeing Tauranga and the Mount portrayed so positively in the media and on Sky TV, as a result of major matches at Bay Oval. The journey has been well worthwhile for that feedback alone.

The number one focus all the way through the planning & development process, was to make no compromises on the playing surfaces and to make it a venue that the players would prefer to play at over all others. At the end of the day the players deserve the best possible facilities to display their talents on. I think that we have achieved that.

Since taking up my role as CEO of BOPCA I have stepped down from the Chairmanship of the Bay Oval Trust but remain as a trustee which provides a strong link between the two organisations.
 
What do you hope to bring and achieve in your time as the Bay of Plenty Cricket CEO? 
There has been so much good work done by those who went before me and they have laid great foundations on which we need to continue to build. Tai Bridgman-Raison is doing a wonderful job managing our development programmes. Jenny Gough continues to provide the best possible administration and support for the game and all stakeholders and participants. 

However there are some key areas where we need to improve and so I will work with Tai & Jenny on these priorities.
•         Women’s and girls’ cricket is not as well developed as we want it to be and so that will be a focus. Rebecca Yee is our Women’s Development Manager and she is doing a great job and will receive total support from us as our programmes grow.  
•         Cricket in our furthest regions (Eastern BOP and Taupo) has battled for years to get real traction and yet some very good cricketers have come from those areas. We want to build a stronger base in both places to capitalize on the talent and opportunities present and we have begun to plan how to achieve that. I’m hopeful that we can make an announcement on that soon. 
•         Cricket supporters in the Bay deserve better opportunities to support the game and I have a few ideas how we can build that support to repay the loyalty that has been shown to the game. I have shared a few ideas with some key individuals and the feedback has so far been only positive. Watch this space.
•         The Bay of Plenty can and should be a cricket Mecca within New Zealand. We have the resources, the climate, the personnel and great support for the game. The business of cricket, has the capacity to provide good economic benefits to the region and so positioning Bay of Plenty Cricket at the forefront of this wave of opportunity has to be a priority. Working with the Bay Oval Trust to maximize what we have here will provide great satisfaction.
 
What drives your undoubted passion for the great game of cricket?
Cricket is clearly the greatest team game on the planet. There are just so many variables at play and each player has to adapt to the conditions and understand quickly how they can produce a match winning performance. There are other more wealthy games (gridiron, golf, tennis and baseball etc) but none where the players have to perform both as individuals and as team members in order to carry the day. 

It is great to see the development of the sport internationally, cricket can become a global game for sure. Bangladesh are touring New Zealand at the moment and they compete strongly; it must be very satisfying for their cricket supporters that they have come so far in such a short time. They only became a country in their own right in 1972 and that is very recent.
 
It has always been my belief that we are all made richer through performance at the highest level. Whether a sportsman, an artist, an academic, or a business person…..to witness high quality events & to  associate with & support gifted & successful individuals attain a shared goal and to give them every opportunity in whatever walk of life provides much satisfaction. The healthy endeavor presented by sport and watching top performances is also great to be a small part of. Our children need to have opportunities to aim as high as possible; so helping people achieve more than they thought possible is hugely rewarding and sometimes it is just a word or two of encouragement that helps people lift their game to the next level.
 
Tell us three things that most people wouldn’t know about Chris Rapson
I was born in Dunedin so very much a Highlanders fan. Really pleased to see them win a super rugby title in 2015. Liz and I met at the Burnside West Christchurch Cricket Club and we have been married 40 years. She has been a great supporter of all my involvement in sport and I probably don’t thank her enough for that support.

Liz and I have two daughters, Celia and Sophie. They don’t get the same kick out of cricket that Liz and I do but they have been good supporters of the game and very patient with their father and brother! 

Celia (our eldest daughter) lives in Newcastle (NSW) with her husband Adam (yes he is an Aussie) and their son, our grandson Hayden Burke. I don’t think I would mind if Hayden played cricket for Australia, but it would be touch and go!