Ever volunteered to make a cuppa then suddenly found yourself in charge of the catering?
Shawn Hicks knows all about that.
The former Otago top-order batter promised to help University-Grange find a coach this season.
Former Black Caps and Otago stalwart Neil Broom had agreed to coach the side, but had to pull out after his circumstances changed.
Hicks said he would help with the search.
He was probably thinking a few telephone calls, a chat or two near the water-cooler and bingo.
You know how this ends - Hicks will coach the side.
That was not what he intended. The 27-year-old already had a lot on his plate.
His wife, Rozandrie, gave birth to their first child, Ellia, 10 months ago, so he is still walking around on half-a-night’s sleep. He has a day job at Sport Otago and will assist head coach Craig Cumming with the Otago Sparks this season as well.
But he did not want to leave University-Grange hanging and agreed to help. He cannot make the games on Saturday, but has committed to training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday.
It is a lot of cricket all of a sudden, and he is happy about it. But Hicks needed to take a lengthy break from the game to reset after he was forced to retire at a young age.
The right-hander seemingly had a bright future.
He had been a very promising rugby player - he made a New Zealand age-group wider training squad - but chose cricket. After an initial stint with Auckland, he made his way south to play for Otago in 2017-18.
He impressed in the one-day campaign and was offered a good contract the following season.
But Hicks had brought some significant baggage to cricket. He had sustained some heavy knocks during his rugby days and picked up two more concussions while with Otago.
He made the gut-wrenching decision to retire aged just 23.
"Heading into my last season, I didn’t see it coming at all," he said.
"I actually got a good contract, so in my mind I thought this is my season - this is the one where I want to try and make a breakthrough and perhaps even push for higher honours.
"But the way it ended up, with me retiring at the age of 23, it was a tough pill to swallow.
"Straight from that I went to driving a forklift and working nightshift at PPT ... while I was finishing my accounting degree - it was a bit of character-building stuff."
Hicks used his degree for about a year in an administration role. But it was not for him, so he drifted back to cricket.
"But to be fair I needed that time away from the game just with the way everything happened. The hardest thing for me during that time was knowing that I’ll never reach my potential."
He can help other people reaching their sporting potential, though.
"That’s the thing and that is where I’m at now with my coaching."
"I feel like I’ve got a lot to give back still."
He took on a role coaching the Otago under-17 side and the John McGlashan College First XI.
He joined Sport Otago as a sports lead five months ago and fits in his coaching around work.
Asked if he was ambitious about coaching, Hicks gave a thoughtful reply.
"During my playing career, I just wish I had a better perspective. I really made cricket my all. That is the sort of mindset I want to help change. Cricket isn’t everything.
"In terms of my ambition, I just want to add value for players. My coaching philosophy is players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care."
"If that leads to somewhere as a coach one day, then I’ll take it on."
Speaking of taking it on, University-Grange will open its Dunedin premier campaign against Green Island at Sunnyvale tomorrow.
Expectations are modest as the Ugs struggled last season.
"We need to be realistic because this is where we are at. But one key element that they have identified is they want to work on their culture because everything sparks from culture.
"My whole plan for the team is to create a culture where each player feels comfortable to be themselves. In terms of the cricketing side, it will take some time."
The Ugs will lean on Shiv Achary and new Volts recruit Andrew Hazeldine to take wickets at the top, while Sebastian Lauderdale-Smith will captain the team and is a key member in the batting line-up.
Volts opener Jacob Cumming is on the books but is unlikely to play much. Younger brother Zac Cumming will bat in the top order and is a wrist spinner.
Batting depth is likely to be an issue, however.
Green Island is a tough first opponent. It finished second last season and has the bones of a good side again this summer.
Former Otago all-rounder Christi Viljoen is a proven match-winner and left-armer Blair Soper is an experienced campaigner who also has first-class experience.
The team with three names - Carisbrook-Dunedin/Kaikorai - has won the Bing Harris back-to-back. But CDK has lost the services of all-rounder Jeremy Smith. He has popped up at North East Valley, while Rhys Bayly has moved away.
The Hounds are playing Taieri at Brooklands. Taieri finished a disappointing fifth last season, but it will be competitive.
Former Otago seamer Jack Hunter will make the odd cameo. He lives in Invercargill but has agree to fill in when needed. Black Cap Glenn Phillips is also listed, but he is less likely than a political comeback from Liz Truss to front for Taieri.
Nick Kwant is a dynamic top-order player and Taieri will lean on Ben McCall, Toby Hart and Regan Flaws to generate wickets.
In the other game, Albion will play North East Valley at Tonga Park. Both teams look strong on paper.
Albion has been boosted by the return of veteran all-rounder Jamie Glenn, and former Wellington player Joe Smellie has popped up in Dunedin again.
Those gains have been offset by the loss of Dutch international Max O’Dowd and all-rounder Angus McKenzie, who is contracted to Canterbury.
Tommy Clout shapes as the main man with the ball and Otago seamer Matt Bacon is another big threat.
The word is Jamal Todd is a batter with enormous potential. He will only be available for part of the season but scored a classy century during the preseason.
Oscar Wilson is another player to watch, and Josh Tasman-Jones can be relied on to score heavily. He is also coaching the side.
Valley has a talented line-up again this season. It will be stronger with the arrival of Smith.
A lot will depend on how much use the Swans get out of the Otago-contracted players. They should be able to press the likes of Llew Johnson, Jarrod McKay and Thorn Parkes into action, and perhaps get the odd cameo from Travis Muller.
Hunter Kindley and Kaleb McKay will need to play leading roles if the side is to prosper.
The Female League also gets under way tomorrow. Four teams will contest division one and two will jostle with each other in division two.
It is understood to be the first time a female league has operated in the city since the 1980s.
Dunedin club cricket
Albion
Placing 2021-22: Fourth
Gains: Dean Foxcroft, Joe Smellie, Jamie Glenn.
Losses: Angus McKenzie, Max O’Dowd.
Squad: Taylor Cumberland (captain), Ricki Allan, Matthew Bacon, James Brown, Jack Clough, Tommy Clout, Josh Cuttance, Tim Ford, Dean Foxcroft, Jamie Glenn, Max Griffiths, Thomas Harris, Ben Ivory-McCullum, Thomas Pleciak, Ethan Price, Hamish Rutherford, Joe Smellie, Jamal Todd, Sam Wells, Matt West, Oscar Wilson.
Player-coach: Josh Tasman-Jones
Carisbrook-Dunedin/Kaikorai
Placing 2021-22: Champion
Gains: Thomas O’Connor.
Losses: Jeremy Smith, Rhys Bayly.
Squad: Kurt Johnston (captain), Patrick Arnold, Vinay Chandrappa, Xavier Chisholm, Max Chu, Jacob Duffy, Niven Dovey, Josh Finnie, Jonty Fleck, Mason Gain, Charles Hendry, Mason James, Tim King, Seb Kyle, Leon Marconi, Thomas O’Connor, Tom Procter, Jack Pryde, Michael Rippon, Liam Ryan, Ben Seavill, Jack Wright.
Coaches: Matt Hunter and Craig Johnson.
Green Island
Placing 2021-22: Second
Losses: Nick Kelly
Squad: Joel Meade (c), Jack Mockford, Brad Kneebone, Elliot Santner, Jed Mockford, Christi Viljoen, Jacob Gilbert, Nick Parata, Blair Soper, Tony Cardno, Dan Wright, Jake Gibson, Josh Kellett, Regan Cairns, Jamie MacDonald, Alec Mathieson, Oram Gutsell, Josh Hart, James Gilbert, Jake Clare, Oli Burbidge.
Manager: Ian Mockford
North East Valley
Placing 2021-22: Third
Gains: Jeremy Smith.
Losses: Will Kindley, Neil Broom, Anaru Kitchen
Squad: Hunter Kindley (c), Sam Blakely, Travis Muller, Thorn Parkes, Abby Smith, Nic Brosnahan, Lachie Bradford, Jacob Day, Will Hamilton, Kyle Hastie, Gus Holt, Sam James-Everton, Llew Johnson, Hayden Johnston, Sam Johnston, Jarrod McKay, Kaleb McKay, Michael Rae, Jeremy Smith, Oli White, Alex Wilson.
Player-coaches: Travis Muller and Thorn Parkes
Taieri
Placing 2021-22: Fifth
Gains: Jack Hunter, Glenn Phillips.
Losses: Marcus Frost, Riley Dixon.
Squad: Cam Jackson (c), Beckham Wheeler-Greenall, Adam Jones, Benji Culhane, Tim Boyle, Tom Dempster, Cam Elliott, Nick Kwant, Dale Phillips, Hamish Hunter, Ben McCall, Toby Hart, Ben Lockrose, Regan Phillips, Glenn Phillips, Sam Duff, Jack Hunter, Regan Flaws.
Coach: Vaughn Johnson
University-Grange bowler Benedict Hardie sends the ball hurtling towards the stumps. PHOTO: ODT FILES
University Grange
Placing 2021-22: Last
Gains: Andrew Hazeldine
Squad: Shiv Achary, Dhruvi Aery, Harrison Biggs, Will Bixley, Alex Burleigh, Venkat Krishna Chaitanya, Jacob Collie, Jacob Cumming, Zac Cumming, Sam French, Benedict Hardie, Andrew Hazeldine, Sebastian Lauderdale-Smith (c), Ollie Louden, Denil Manuel, Stephen Markham, Harry McMillan, Joel Pannell, Sam Paterson.
Coach: Shawn Hicks
- Names provided by Otago Cricket
