Irish eyes are smiling

London Leprechaun gives us a quick report on a happy event in Hamilton this morning when the Irish Team were welcomed to the city ahead of tomorrow's match. A bit of relief from tensions with England and the MCC! Maybe an ever happier report will follow after the match.  

Depending on when you read this you may or not be exasperated or relieved or indifferent to England, so this short report is to make you a little bit Irish for the next few hours.

I have been making my way north from Christchurch to Hamilton via train, boat and cars. Those of you of a certain vintage may recognise the almost possibility for a headline.  Anyway I will refrain from yet more stories of spectacular wildlife, amazing scenery and even gale force wind and rain in Wellington to tell you about the very Kiwi welcome to the Irish team this morning in the lovely surroundings of a Maori grove in the delightful Hamilton Gardens.

There were only a handful of Irish supporters there: a consequence of some miscommunication about where the event was being held and a bus service that runs only once an hour. But the upshot was that we were warmly welcomed by local dignitaries, MPs and Councillors, and ICC people and invited to take tea with the team afterwards.  We were asked though not to take pictures during the ceremony itself as it is quite a sacred time in Maori tradition to welcome people  to their land.  I was reminded of a saying I came across in Wellington when the first European settlers landed in that part of New Zealand. A local chief told them:

Welcome strangers from a strange land to a strange land. Welcome. There is room for you and I to live together.

Perhaps not the sentiments of a certain UK political party.

But I digress.  After songs, and speeches, in Maori, English and Irish, the team mingled happily with all sorts though they looked a bit shot from a long journey from Hobart with time differences, New Zealand bio security and roads to contend with, all ending in an 1.30am arrival this morning.  But they looked relaxed and happy to be in this very nice part of the country.  And we even got to see the possible future of England/Irish/Sussex cricket in a junior Joyce.

Wonder who this youngster will be playing for?

I am sure they are endearing themselves to the locals wherever they go, the Irish.  And I am sure these kinds of occasions will be huge on the learning curves for our young Middlesex players; I just hope that Andy Balbirnie will get a chance to show us what he has got this summer.

Go Andy

And who knows what they just might pull of tomorrow. 

I will be in touch!