The names Latham and McEwan may seem familiar to those who love cricket, but there are two young players coming through the ranks who have inherited their fathers’ talent for cricket.
Former Canterbury and international cricket players Rod Latham and Paul McEwan are the proud dads now watching from the sidelines as their sons Tom and Matt take the age group cricket scene by storm. Both players have been standouts for Canterbury under 17 and 19 teams and they have just been named in the New Zealand preliminary squad to content the ICC Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand next January.
Rod played between 1980 and 1995 while Paul graced the cricket landscape from 1979 to 1990. They became great friends and before long their young sons were playing cricket in the backyard. The two boys have grown up together and now play cricket together. Both are very talented players, Matt with the ball and Tom with the bat.
You would think there would be a lot of pressure to walk in your dad’s foot steps, however Matt McEwan says he is encouraged by his dad and doesn’t feel pressured at all. “I play because I love it,” he said. “Why do something if you don’t enjoy it?”
Tom agrees. “I take dad’s advice sometimes, but I don’t feel pressured to succeed. I just want to go where Dad’s been. That’s my goal.”
For Rod he is pushing the message of positive thinking for his son when it comes to cricket, and although Tom has been a star performer in the under 17 and 19 tournaments in recent years, it can still be tough for the youngster. “It’s about being positive and enjoying the game. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t score.” He said. “You have to be yourself and progress and do well. But if you don’t do that it’s not the end of the world.”
Paul sings the same tune. He does want his son to be successful in the game, but at the same time he says happiness is important. “It’s a long day if you can’t enjoy it. And you have to learn to celebrate others success because it’s not always going to be your day,” he said. “Cricket really is a character building game.”
With both youngsters doing exceptionally well with their chosen disciplines, it won’t be long untill be see them in the Canterbury side, and maybe even in the BLACKCAPS, with their proud fathers sitting on the sideline sharing stories of cricket days gone by.
Another Canterbury family link comes from young all rounder Logan Van Beek, who was also included in the New Zealand preliminary World Cup squad and who was 12th man for the Canterbury Wizards against Otago last week. Both his grandmother and grandfather played for Canterbury.
Logan’s grandfather Sam Guillen also played for the West Indies and New Zealand at an international level. Logan said it fantastic to have someone like his grandfather cheering him on. “All my cricket talent comes from him,” Logan said. “He’s never put any pressure on me to play and he believes in me and my ability. I put all the pressure on myself to perform.”
When it comes to Logan’s natural cricketing talent Sam suggests it comes from somewhere else. “I tell him all his cricketing talent comes from his grandmother,” Sam laughed. “But Logan is a very good athlete. I think he will progress as he goes. He’s always been keen on sport. But I don’t tell him what to do, unless he’s doing something wrong. However he is sensible enough to correct himself.”
