Kevin Cooper

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Southland cricket scrubs up well in Cooper's care

NATHAN BURDON

Kevin Cooper looks around the Southland Cricket Association pavilion with considerable pride.

After nearly 10 years the Englishman is on the move to a new role as director of cricket in the Wairarapa, but his last days in Invercargill allow him a chance to reminisce.

"Time has gone along very quickly," Cooper said.

"I remember when I first got here in 2004. When I arrived I thought 'what have I come to?'. We had ivy coming through the kitchen windows, you had an indoor centre with a four pace run-up. It was, dare I say, ready for refurbishment."

Over four years, the redevelopment of Southland cricket's Queens Park headquarters took shape.

Originally budgeted for a $600,000 makeover, the job eventually cost more like $2 million, but is unquestionably an asset for the city and province.

As a former professional cricketer himself, Cooper was able to provide valuable input into what players wanted at a ground, including the big viewing areas which front the pavilion changing rooms.

Cooper originally came to Invercargill in a coaching and groundskeeping role, but as the amount of first class cricket at Queens Park increased he began to spend less time coaching and more time on the mower.

In more recent times that job had expanded to include finding sponsorship.

Southland's cricketing administration faces challenging times ensuring that it is financially stable.

Paid roles within the organisation have been reviewed and it's with that going on in the background that Cooper moves on.

However, he says that's not his reason for moving.

When he first looked at moving to New Zealand, he had planned to move to Masterton where his best friend lives.

He had also applied for a role with Southland cricket, but missed out because he couldn't leave England immediately, and a year later he was ready when then chief executive Richard Hoskin came calling.

Wairarapa cricket have ambitions to regain first class status at the 130-year-old Queen Elizabeth Park and Cooper will also have a coaching role with their Hawke Cup side, as well as other teams.

Having visited Masterton regularly to catch up with his best mate, Cooper had developed cricketing contacts in the area and was open to a shift when they came calling.

The challenge is not something the 56-year-old was looking for, but it's one he's excited about.

A cricket groundsman's role in Invercargill is not an easy one.

Wild weather combined with dodgy drainage can be a constant headache, but under Cooper's stewardship the pitches have improved and record scores achieved.

Significant drainage work being undertaken by the Invercargill City Council should make the job of whoever replaces Cooper easier.

"Once I'd taken over we quickly developed over a couple of years from having one day of first class cricket to 10 or 11, plus your Hawke Cup games. We've had times when the ground's been completely underwater and where do you go? It's something that we've been working on for quite a few years and finally it's here. Hopefully that will solve a lot of the problems we've had. No one down here had used Kakanui soil [for the pitch] before, so it was a learning process which took two or three years," Cooper said.

I remember the first four-day wicket I did, I cut it the same height I would have done in the UK. As much as it looked OK, after about 10 overs the ball had been ripped to shreds and it didn't bat and I thought 'what have I done?'. Once I started going to the turf meetings, catching up with the other turfies around the country. You learn those things over a period of time."

Cooper will arrive in Masterton this weekend and will be joined by wife Linda once their Invercargill house sells.

Their two adult daughters, Tara and Kelly, have both settled in Invercargill and Cooper said he'll be a regular visitor in the future.

The support he and the family had received during their time in Southland, especially for the golf tournaments he had organised, was something he would always be grateful for, Cooper said.

"Hopefully I'll be back for a Hawke Cup challenge at some stage," he said.

- The Southland Times

NICOLE JOHNSTONE/Fairfax NZ