The father of a Waikouaiti boy who died in a boating accident says the Otago Volts wearing black arm bands to honour his son was a ‘‘wonderful gesture''.
The players wore the arm bands in memory of Jack Martin (12) during yesterday's one-day match against Canterbury in Alexandra.
Jack, a keen cricketer, died after he was struck by a passing boat while on a sea biscuit on Blue Lake, St Bathans, on Saturday evening.
His father, Neil Martin, was moved by the Volts' gesture, saying it was ‘‘fantastic for the wee fella''.‘‘It's just a totally unexpected and wonderful gesture,'' Mr Martin said.
His son admired the Otago players and was a talented cricketer.
He was supposed to have been vice-captain for North Otago at the South Island primary schools cricket tournament in the coming weeks.
Otago Volts manager James Lovelock said the players wore the arm bands as a show of support for the family of a young Otago cricketer.
‘‘Obviously, it is a terrible time for the family and while he was not known personally to us, he is part of the wider cricket family and the players all felt it was the best way we could offer support at this time to the family,'' Mr Lovelock said.
‘‘We just felt it was a little thing we could do.''
A lot of Otago players had also played in the primary schools tournament, which was a ‘‘real stepping stone'' for junior cricketers, he said.
