The 13-year-old cricketer Erin Buckland became the first female in hundred years to play cricket and participate in practice sessions, fielding drills alongside male cricket team of Levin Old Boys Cricket Club (LOBCC) in New Zealand, which also included her country’s cricket idols in the form of senior batsman Ross Taylor, opening batsman Tom Latham, fast-bowler Tim Southee and left-arm slow orthodox spinner Mitchell Santner at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.
“This will be a day she won’t ever forget,” Nicola Buckland, the mother of Erin was quoted as saying by Stuff.co.nz.
According to the report, Levi-born Erin, who was heading to meet an orthodontist after returning from school on Thursday, was left awestruck when she met four members of the Kiwis team.
Erin and 16 other school going children were also seen practicing with the Black Caps players which eventually took them by utter surprise.
Erin was recognized for her passion and was given an opportunity by ANZ Dream Deliveries that promotes cricket in New Zealand and gives a chance to die-hard fans to meet their cricket stars.
“[Erin] is so clearly an inspiration to the girls in the region, and we hope that by giving her and her teammates a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we will only continue to inspire her to achieve,” ANZ head of sponsorship and corporate marketing Sue McGregor said.
However, at the age of 10, Erin, who loved the game of cricket, was desperate to start her cricketing career, but her mother Nicola had denied her to do so in the recent past.
“I actually discouraged her. I said let her brother do it. I would like him to do something without you going in and being fantastic at it. She just took to it naturally and loved it,” Nicola revealed.
While knitting a dream to join the White Ferns (NZ women’s team), Erin, who is running a coaching clinic for girls in her area with Central Hinds coach Mikaela Greigh received the kit-bag, bowling machine from the ANZ at the Basin Reserve.
“Obviously, when I was in school if the Black Caps rocked up I’d be like, what is going on,” the Hamilton-born Santner, who was happy to interact with the cricket lovers said.
New Zealand will play their third One-day International game on Saturday against South Africa in Wellington after the five-match series is leveled at 1-1.