Hunter Crowe hopes an upcoming cricket tour to India will deliver him the cricketing experience to hit for six back in New Zealand.
The outgoing Hauraki Plains College year 13 student told The Profile he was selected to tour the subcontinent with the University of Auckland Cricket Club under 21 team in May this year.
“At first when I got asked to play it was a little bit of a shock to be fair, it was mixed emotions, I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first,” he said.
“But then grasping at the fact that once I got to see quite a few of the details, excitement came and it’s building until I hit India next year.
“I made the link to Auckland University Cricket Club through Will Lintott, who was already playing there, who gave me a call and asked if I wanted to play and I said I would be keen.”
Hunter, who has no relation to New Zealand cricket brothers Jeff and the late Martin Crowe, said the tour will bowl over 14 days between March and April and consist of six matches held at venues between New Delhi and the Pink City of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
“I’m quite keen to see what the quality of cricket is like in India – there’s a lot more cricketers in India than there are in New Zealand so I’m keen to see how we match up against their teams, and bring that experience back home to my own game,” he said. “We’ll also do quite a bit of sightseeing around the place and get amongst the culture.”
Hunter, who lives in Tairua, said he would also use some of the money from the Bj Watling Scholarship he received in June towards the India tour.
The scholarship, which is worth up to $5000, is designed to support recipients with the cost of initiatives that have the capacity to develop their skills, knowledge and potential, to help them excel in their future cricketing endeavours.
Hunter, 17, said he had always enjoyed watching the Blackcaps and first picked up a cricket bat as a “young fella”, but started taking the sport seriously as a 13-year-old in his inaugural year at Hauraki Plains College.
“I like being in the contest, and I like the fact that it is never going to be the same every time when you play so there’s always going to be an excitement factor.
“The memories that you make in times of winning being around your mates is also what I like about cricket.”
Hunter said he had also played cricket for Waikato Valley, was part of the Northern Districts training academy and received the A V O’Brien Trophy for all round sporting excellence at the college Sports Awards on October 27. “HPC has been really good over the past five years and I’m exciting to be heading over to the next chapter,” he said.
“I’m going to Waikato University next year to study a Bachelor of Business but I can still continue to play cricket for Auckland University.”
Hunter said his excitement was building for his India cricket tour next year. Photo: LEON WIREMU SMITH
