Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

New Zealand Cricket commentator, Brian Waddle, is calling for harsher penalties for people who interrupt cricket matches by streaking.

Four fans ran onto the pitch in Auckland on Thursday, during the Twenty20 match between the Black Caps and the West Indies.

Three lads and one female ran on during the course of the game, and were all tackled and carried away by security guards.

According to Newstalk ZB, the fourth streaker was a woman who ran on at a crucial time of the match. The report notes "She appeared to have been knocked out cold when tackled by a security guard".

Sounds like a rough end to a bit of high spirited hijinx. Streaking's been part of Cricket and many other sports for years. The streaks generally fueled by alcohol... the naked runs often the result of a dare by mates.
They give (most of) the crowd and players a bit of a laugh, and can liven up the dull periods in a longer game. (TV meanwhile tries to pretend they don't happen... Just listen for a sudden increase in crowd volume, while the commentators quickly try to pad time by talking over a few random graphics).

But now longtime radio commentator Brian Waddle is calling for "a crackdown on streakers". He wants to see $5,000 instant fines for those flashing their naked selves across kiwi cricket fields!

Ouch! I say Boo. Another attempt to kill the fun from a day at the cricket. The report states, "Eden Park & NZ Cricket are also trying to stem drunken behaviour which has marred several recent matches".

While I agree the offensive abuse and bottle throwing at players is unacceptable, officials are in danger of driving fans away from their live games. It's far less hassle to simply watch the matches at home on a big widescreen telly with a bunch of mates and some beers.

Here in Dunedin, Carisbrook banned couches from the old terraces a few years back to prevent the hilarious age-old tradition of couch-burning at the cricket (which was a hell of a lot of fun!)

I remember one incident where they had to take an early drinks break in a game against Sri Lanka, after smoke from a burning couch in front of us drifted out over the pitch, as well as shooting straight up in front of the tv commentary box ;-)

(At the same match, a guy dressed in a clown costume managed to dodge 2 security guards to reach the players in the middle... He then handed well-rounded captain Arjuna Ranatunga his pie, saying "You need this more than me!")