Kerry O'Neill - erudite, astute and adaptable

Ian Snook

Few people you meet are as wise and knowledgeable in life and in sporting matters as Kerry O’Neill.

He is the product of growing up on a South Taranaki farm along with nine sisters and three brothers, playing sport from a young age, achieving highly in academia and sport at high school, enjoying a ‘hands on’ worklife as a sharemilker, agriculture contractor, freezing worker, and since 1997, being a driving force behind Revital Fertilisers where he is now the Managing Director.

Cricket began on the back lawn at the Mokoia farm with brothers Mark and Peter, and Dad Liam. There were also times facing the cunning bowling of future Taranaki player Keith Chittenden, who would arrive home with Liam after a day at the freezing works, to bowl to the boys.

Test matches were also played on the wicket prepared in a paddock following haymaking where a pitch would be rolled out using a 44 gallon drum full of water which was pushed manually. They were great days, with an already competitive edge to them.

Hawera Intermediate gave Kerry his first taste of representative sport when he was selected for the Taranaki and Western Districts cricket teams and the Taranaki Hatch Cup hockey side.

Cricket was played in the Vern Betts Saturday morning competition in Hawera with coaching provided by Leo Park, a legendary cricket figure in South Taranaki. There were also weekend coaching clinics in the Produce Hall and on one occasion the NZ Director of Cricket, Martin Horton, was in attendance providing high level coaching for the boys.

In 1973 Kerry was selected for the Western Districts side which included boys from Taranaki, Whanganui and Rangitikei, to attend a tournament in Auckland where games were played on Eden Park and Cornwall Park. For a boy off the farm these were monumental experiences.

That same year Kerry attended the Hatch Cup hockey tournament in Auckland where most NZ provinces had a team. It was a tough loss to Canterbury in the semi-final but there was a victory against Wellington that showed this team to be up there with the best. Selection in these two representative sides were an early indicator of Kerry’s hand-eye coordination, skill and agility and determination.

Hawera High School then provided ample outlet for a sporting kid. There was selection in the 1st cricket XI from year nine through to year 13, the 1st hockey XI in years nine and ten, and the 1st XV in the final two years at school.

In 1975 Kerry was awarded the Westway Cup for ‘All-round Excellence’ which was for academic and sporting distinction.

Several Taranaki sporting identities were helpful in Kerry’s development at Hawera HS – Neil McLean and Dennis Wills were his cricket coaches and McLean and Bill Batchelor were his rugby coaches. Certainly, HHS were fortunate to have coaches with so much knowledge and wisdom.

In his first year at high school Kerry was selected for the Taranaki Secondary Schools cricket team, an outstanding achievement in anyone’s books, and he travelled to Fiji to play, a highlight being a game on the Prime Ministers Island.

There was further cricket success at high school being selected in the Western Districts Secondary Schools side for a tournament in Napier. All the big boys were there – Auckland had the Crowes; Wellington had the Cederwells; and Eastern Districts had the Bracewells. Taranaki players alongside Kerry included pacemen Clinton Muggeridge and Gary Robertson.

In his first year out of school it was off to Minehead in Somerset, England. Life was fantastic there. Three cricket games a week, an average of 50 with the bat, and plenty of socializing for a young chap.

A host of local cricketers would play for Minehead over the years including Clinton Muggeridge, Brian Richards, Mark O’Neill, David Hurley, Bruce Phillips, Josh Barrett and Liam Muggeridge, and in return one of their outstanding youngsters Stu Tudball would come out and play for Patea and Taranaki. Local players are still heading to Minehead to this day.

Back on the farm in Taranaki and performing for Patea at cricket and rugby, Kerry was selected for the Taranaki cricket team in 1980, a career that would go through to 1984, and the Central Districts Under 23’s in 1981. The CD side played in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle during their trip and in the side was future international Tony Blain and future All Black captain David Kirk.

1980 saw him selected in the Taranaki rugby colts. Modestly regarding himself as an average club player, he was obviously at the peak of his powers as an all-round sportsman in his early 20’s.

Rugby continued at Patea through to 1993, with a year off playing to coach the Patea 3rd grade in 1998. The side were always competitive until the freezing works closed in 1982. Former players included All Blacks Murray Wills and Alistair Scown and one of his coaches was Andrew Gower who Kerry regards as one of the best ever.

There would be more coaching with the Border Development side in 1999 and a season at the helm of the Southern Rugby Club in 1998.

But it was cricket where Kerry would have the most influence. Playing in a powerful Patea team, containing Taranaki reps Brian Richards, Bruce Phillips, and brother Mark, alongside some really talented players such as David and Mark Hurley and Steven and Graeme Hughes, and coached by a couple of celebrated Patea and Taranaki cricketers Skip Richards and Les Wilson, the team made three Taranaki finals in 1980, 1983 and 1984 only to lose each one.

In 1985 Patea could not field a senior team as many players had shifted out of the district so Kerry joined the Hawera United club. Following a year off in 1989 he was encouraged to do one more year of premier cricket and he returned to Hawera United as captain in 1990. This team won the Taranaki competition with Peter Plumtree as coach and a team that had talent galore in the shape of first class player Ross Glover and Taranaki reps Tyler Kennedy, Craig Sulzberger, Mark Kuklinski and Aaron Hooper. This was the strongest club side that Kerry believes he played for.

1991 saw Kerry head to Manaia as the coach and captain, in an effort to get Manaia back in to premier cricket, and this was achieved. Then, with Dinny Thomas resurrecting the Patea club once again it was back to the old team, now playing second grade, and winning the Taranaki championship.

With a successful playing career behind him and the ever perceptive and astute mind ready for more, Kerry returned to Hawera as the coach of the premier side in 1993. This side went on to sweep everything in front of it winning the Taranaki Championship and the One Day Competition.

Captained by Daryl Riddick and supported by a talented cast including Ross Glover, Dennis Mihaljevich, Steven Batchelor and Bruce Phillips, this was an extremely capable side.

Following four seasons steering the Hawera side Kerry was appointed as a Taranaki selector alongside Laurie Denton, before moving in to the coaching position the following year. In 1996, after defeating Hawkes Bay to earn themselves a Hawke Cup challenge, a game where Stratford bowler Ian Patterson grabbed two bags of five wickets, the team were well beaten by Nelson.

This was a powerful Taranaki side including internationals Peter Ingram, Mathew Walker and Glen Sulzberger as well as first class players Rodney Brown and Regan West, but they were outplayed over the three days.

There was more to be done though. On returning to coach the Hawera club in 2000 there was a One Day Championship in 2002 which earned the team a place in the club champs to be played in Auckland. There were first class players sprinkled throughout the teams, with each major province being represented, and from a group of 12 the boys were placed fourth – a more than fair effort.

This followed with a couple of years not being involved in any way before the desire grew too strong and in 2007 Kerry joined selector/coach Alistar Jordan and became a Taranaki selector. This partnership remained for three years and in that time they won both the Chapple and Hawke Cups before he was again appointed as coach of the Taranaki side.

The Chapple Cup is a 50 over competition between the Central Districts provinces and the Hawke Cup challenges are earned by being the top team in your district, so each year Taranaki play Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Whanganui, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wairarapa to decide which team will be the challenger.

With Dion Ebrahim, now the Otago Volts coach, as captain, the team included future internationals Peter Ingram, Tom Bruce and Will Young, as well as future first class players Dean Robinson and Ryan Watson, plus Taranaki Centurion Jamie Watkins.

Following a four year stint Kerry resigned as Taranaki coach and Taranaki cricket put his name forward as a Central Districts selector. He was duly appointed in 2014 and served out two seasons in a position where he believed those in higher positions did not like to be challenged. He remains worried that there is a very narrow pathway for local coaches and administrators in CD cricket with the emergence of overseas appointments.

This though was not the end of Kerry’s cricket involvement. Revital Fertilisers, where Kerry is the Managing Director, were the major sponsor of Taranaki Cricket from 2014-2020. As well they sponsored Taranaki Rugby for two seasons, are a major sponsor of Taranaki Thoroughbred Racing, are the major sponsor of the Taranaki Representative Bowls team, provide discounted services to five local golf clubs and supports both the Helicopter and Sea Rescue organisations in Taranaki and the Bay of Plenty.

There are many great memories strung throughout these 50 odd years. Ronnie Sutton, the left armed fast medium and swing bowler was the best he ever faced, with Lloyd Edwards always a difficult customer with an ability to make the ball stand up off a length.

Taranaki centurion and leading runs scorer Brian Richards and Central Districts rep Ross Glover were the most talented players he played alongside whilst his favourite player when coaching was Central Districts captain Rodney Brown. ‘Browny’, he said, ‘treated Taranaki well and gave it all for Taranaki cricket’.

His best memory from so many, was winning the cricket club final against New Plymouth Old Boys when coaching Hawera. ‘To actually win a final after so many misses made it a great day’. And of course there was the eight wickets for 23 runs against Okato when playing for Patea in a Taranaki semi-final. I’m certain that the longer we chatted there would be more great memories. Some of these no doubt would centre around the pitch in Patea which often seemed to be a metre or so short.

There is no doubt that Kerry’s achievements as a player, coach and selector, and his longevity, particularly in cricket, make him another of Taranaki’s eminent sports personalities.

There have been 20 years of playing cricket, with representation for Taranaki at primary, secondary and senior levels, Western Districts selection at primary and secondary school, CD selection at Under 21, and one Taranaki Championship with Hawera United.

There have been over 20 seasons of coaching and selecting with seven of these as the Taranaki coach, one successful Hawke Cup challenge, one Chapple Cup victory and one club championship.

There have been ten years of being on committees at the Patea rugby and cricket clubs and at the Hawera United cricket club.

Throw in hockey representation for Taranaki at primary and secondary school followed by two seasons in the HHS 1st XV and fifteen seasons of playing and coaching rugby, including selection in the Taranaki colts, and you have the authentic Taranaki sports person.

Ian Snook is a Sports News Taranaki contributor. He is a former Taranaki and Central Districts cricketer, played rugby for Taranaki and coached to a high level in nine different countries.