“He should be in the Black Caps”.
It’s a phase Nelson man John Glazier has heard often from amazed by-standers as his dog Dusty joins in on their family cricket games.
John is a mad cricket fan and often takes a few kids to the Maitai Valley to play cricket. Dusty is there too and fields every single ball and returns it to the bowler.
“Every time he does it,” says John. “He doesn’t get in the way of the ball when it’s being bowled, only after it’s been hit and he’ll chase it and bring it back to the bowler. We don’t need fielders or a wicket keeper. Just a batter and bowler.”
The antics often catch the eye of passersby and John says they often play in front of a crowd. “Especially at the Maitai. People will stop and watch him go, it’s incredible really.”
Dusty is five years old and was adopted by John from the Nelson SPCA. He was found wondering the streets. John says basic training took years but cricket training was much easier.
“When Seth was old enough I started to teach him a bit of cricket and Dusty would intervene. As we played more and more he clicked as to what was going on. But it started off that we could never get the ball off him so we’d put him inside so that we could carry on.
“He soon learnt that if he didn’t take the ball he could play and it went from there. It just developed really quickly.”
Rules have also been added to incorporate Dusty. If Dusty catches the ball in his mouth after one bounce you’re out.
“We’ve gone through 200 tennis balls and probably 40 cricket balls, but we’ve finally found a plastic cricket ball that he can’t chew and that works a treat.”
John says the mere mention of cricket sends Dusty into a frenzy of excitement and he’s been in trouble in the past for jumping in on other people’s games.
“He thinks that every cricket game is there for him, but it’s never a good look when he jumps out the car at Victory Square and there’s a game on.”
John, who works at Waimea College and who also coaches a cricket team, says Dusty is a regular at training sessions.
“In the nets, if a ball gets hit he’ll tear off after it and bring it back. He’s a handy coaching tool.”
John says Dusty has to be the world’s best fielder because he just keeps going. “He’ll go for hours and hours. He never gets sick of it.”
