Nevin hits 100th game for his province

BY PRIYANKA BHONSULE

Chris Nevin picks up the phone and is off like an express train.

With two boys under seven years of age and twins due to be born any day now, time is a precious commodity for Nevin. He speaks like a man in a hurry.

But he's quick with a smile, happy for a chat and one gets the impression he's well-used to juggling family and cricket.

The affable wicketkeeper, who's been a stalwart of Hutt Districts Cricket Club for more than 18 years, played his 100th game for Wellington last week.

It was a momentous occasion and made more special because Nevin is only the fourth Wellingtonian to reach this honour and among only a handful of players nationwide.

Speaking before the game, he was confident the 100th game was going to be great.

"I always knew it was coming and have been building up to it since the start of this season."

This is Nevin's 15th season for Wellington and he never finds it dull.

"When you do something you love [for a job] you wish it comes around more often. You wish you could do it 12 months a year."

But he admits some seasons are harder than others and, with a young family, he didn't want to travel all the time during the domestic off-season.

So he took six months off after last season, moved the family to the Netherlands and coached a team there.

"I really enjoyed coaching  I'm trying to decide what to do after my playing days are over."

Not that his career is coming to an end, or even close. At 34, Nevin is fit, achieving an impressive level 13 in the beep test during pre-season training.

It's a hard slog from about July onwards for domestic cricketers, playing three to four times a week during pre-season training.

Nevin says his personal preparation depends on what he's been doing over winter but tries to get back into the gym by August.

"The main difference between club cricket and playing for Wellington is the amount of extra work.
"I've been fully professional for the past seven to eight years and it's a full-time job.

"During the season we've got training from Monday to Friday, three times a day with different development sessions.

"We do team building activities like paintballing ... there's a lot of bonding between the players."

This is in contrast to club cricket where, with most players juggling full-time jobs, the team meets two times a week for training and turns out for the game on Saturday.

Nevin's had more intense training during his stint playing for the Black Caps.

He says it was an amazing experience and he would have loved to play a bit more but it didn't work out, which was understandably disappointing.

But he's "absolutely working towards" getting back into the team.

"I believe if you're playing first-class cricket and don't have a desire to play in the Black Caps then you're taking the spot of someone who really wants to be part of it."

While he recalls winning the State Shield for Wellington in 2001 as one of the highlights of his first-class career, his goal for HDCC would be to win the Pearce Cup for the first time.

With additions to the family coming soon, Nevin has no plans of moving away and says they're very settled in Wellington.

Holland was a big move for the family and while playing for Wellington, he'd only ever consider having six months away.

He believes a couple more seasons for Wellington, some more winter coaching and then he might have enough experience for first-class coaching as a long-term goal.