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Snook: Taranaki batsman Dion Ebrahim's life couldn't be much sweeter
LIFE'S GOOD: Dion Ebrahim on his way to a century against Wairarapa at New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park on 2011.
Andy Jackson/Fairfax NZ
LIFE'S GOOD: Dion Ebrahim on his way to a century against Wairarapa at New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park on 2011.

OPINION:
He is the man with the widest smile in all of Taranaki. Dion Ebrahim's world is humming along very nicely.

Firstly, there was the engagement to New Zealand White Fern Kate Broadmore, a partnership made in cricketing heaven, followed by New Plymouth Boys' High School offering a fulltime coaching position so that he is able to carry on the good work introduced over the past two seasons.

Then, last weekend against Manawatu, Ebrahim became the recordholder for centuries in the history of Taranaki provincial cricket - eight in all.

And it all could have been so different. Following a 29-test match career for Zimbabwe, as well as 82 one-day internationals for his country, Ebrahim became disillusioned with Zimbabwe and the cricket environment and followed his family to England to take up a job in real estate.

Fortunately for the cricketing world while he was there, he sold a house to the chairman of a local cricket club and before long became the highest scorer in the Northants Premier League.

This ultimately led him to Hawera as the club's professional player where he met a fantastic bunch of guys and his love for the game blossomed once again.

By the end of his first season in residence in the capital of south Taranaki, Ebrahim had been selected for Taranaki and had notched up the first of his eight hundreds.

That first 100 was against Manawatu. This was a heated game, as of course would be expected in these clashes, with Travis Stewart behind the stumps, Matthew Broadmore at the helm and the likes of Nicky Taylor, Leith Johnston and a younger Jamie Watkins leading the attack.

During his first three seasons in Taranaki colours, Ebrahim was averaging more than 100 for much of the time and it seemed incomprehensible that at no stage did Central Districts come calling, not even for an 'A' jersey.

Here was a player who had stepped out against all the major cricket playing nations, had stared down the likes of Brett Lee and Shoab Akhtar, played in front of more than 40,000 wild supporters every day of the tests in India, scoring a 94 in the process, while he had also scored 79 at the "Home of Cricket," Lords, in England.

He was up against Australia when they were in their "pomp" under Steve Waugh, pitted himself against superstars of the game such as South Africans Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis and faced the best of them all in Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka.

Instead, he was destined to play at provincial level only, before ultimately taking the mantle of being the highest century maker for Taranaki, heading off current Central Districts batsman Dean Robinson and the entertaining and charismatic Brian Richards who sit on seven.

This achievement was all the more noteworthy coming at a crucial time for Taranaki on a difficult batting strip and earning the Hawke Cup challenge, starting tomorrow in Palmerston North. This will no doubt be remembered by Ebrahim as one of his proudest moments for his adopted province.

The immediate goal now is to get his hands on the Hawke Cup and then stretch ahead of the other contenders and keep running up those centuries.

That aside, and a reflection of his character, is that he sees his job at Boys' High of bringing through the next generation of cricketers to a high standard so that they will be compared with the Liam Muggeridges, Taylor Williams and Kaylum Boshiers as his most important role moving forward.

It is an opportunity that excites him tremendously and makes him feel very privileged. It is a role though that he has been born for with his cricketing knowledge, affable nature and hard-working ethos.

Long may the runs flow and the smiles continue for Taranaki's champion batsman.

*Ian Snook is a former Taranaki and Central Districts captain. He is one of only four men to have played more than 100 games for Taranaki.

- Taranaki Daily News

Ebrahim working one on one to help cricketers reach their goals
Dion Ebrahim (left) oversees an academy coaching session involving registered members from left, Mitchell Proffit, Tyler Slingsby and Ryan Gilmour.
Robert Charles/Fairfax NZ
Dion Ebrahim (left) oversees an academy coaching session involving registered members from left, Mitchell Proffit, Tyler Slingsby and Ryan Gilmour.


Dion Ebrahim is busy passing on knowledge gleaned from more than 20 years as a professional sportsman.

The former Zimbabwean cricket international runs an academy in New Plymouth focused on specific one-on-one coaching rather the generic group coaching methods.

Ebrahim said the programme is proving popular and is open to cricketers of all ages keen to build their skill sets in a high performance environment.

The academy is separate to Ebrahim's work as director of cricket at New Plymouth Boys' High School, a position he has held for the past two seasons. He says there is no conflict of interest between the two jobs.

Ebrahim, 35, arrived in Taranaki in 2006 to fill a position as a player-coach of the Hawera Cricket Club following a 29-test career for Zimbabwe, as well as 82 one-day internationals for his country.

Last year, he fixed his future in New Zealand becoming a naturalised New Zealander.

Ebrahim currently has a total of 13 cricketers registered with the academy including three girls.

"It caters for individuals who want to go into the higher end of their sport," explained Ebrahim. In the past, coaching has been very generic and this is more specific. We work on individual plans and things like goal setting, conditioning, nutrition and using video analysis. It also addresses the technical side of the game," he said.

Academy members are monitored through the season and also over the winter months by Ebrahim and his specialist support staff.

Ebrahim said the academy had humble beginnings which have been developed more over the last couple of years.

The academy has had its success stories including Central Districts age group reps Liam Muggeridge and Taylor Williams. Both talented youngsters enjoyed more than their share of success last season.

"Liam scored 1270 runs for Boys' High which is a record and Taylor took 80 wickets over the season. A helluva lot more than me," quipped Ebrahim, who has scored more than 2000 runs for the Taranaki senior rep team since his arrival in the province.

The academy is based at the Sulzberger indoor centre in New Plymouth and Ebrahim said the programme has sponsor support from WR Phillips and Rising Stars pre-school.

- Stuff

CRICKET: Lechlade CC pounce for former Zimbabwe international Ryan Higgins
Danny Hall, Sports Editor / Wednesday 23 October 2013 / Sport

LECHLADE CC have signed a player who took the wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and caught Brian Lara in the same West Indies v Zimbabwe ODI back in 2006.

But it was when former Zimbabwe international Ryan Higgins scored a ton against Lechlade some years later that he came on Paul Rowley’s radar.

And Rowley is a cricket club chairman who never forgets.

Though cricket flannels may have been put away for the winter, Higgins became Rowley’s first signing of the close season last Friday.

Go-ahead Lechlade came agonisingly close to winning promotion from the West of England Premier Glos/Wilts Division, losing out to the champions Potterne only on the last day.

They did, however, have the compensation of winning the County Cup and Rowley, quite literally the driving force behind the club, wants more silverware for the Manor Ground.

He sees 25-year-old Higgins, who helped Poulton to promotion from Division 2 of the humble county league last season and previously Chippenham to a Glos/Wilts title – as a key player in that quest.

“Cricket is all about planning and we are in there scrapping from the outset,” said Rowley.

“I have known Ryan for about six years ever since he smacked 100 against us. From that day, he was on my radar.

“He has played at Premier 2, if not Premier 1 level in the past and when we understood he was looking to play a better standard of cricket than the county league next year we got in touch.

“He is obviously a superb batsman and a more than useful leg spinner.

“Ryan is also the boss of Gecko Cricket, the coaching and cricket equipment company, and he is sure to be involved in holiday coaching camps at our club, though Luke Sellers remains the club coach.”

jaybro wrote:Ryan Higgins another great loss to Zimbabwe cricket .....