It is not always easy getting brothers to say nice things about each other.
But if Noel and Liam Gallagher can get the biggest band in the world back together, it should not be hard for Otago softballers Ben and Cam Watts to dish up some reciprocal praise.
Indeed, the Watts boys are only too happy to speak warmly of each other as they prepare to represent the Black Sox in the Softball World Cup starting in Canada tomorrow.
It is a second crack at global glory for Cam, a 30-year-old catcher who teaches at Kaikorai Valley College, and the first for 31-year-old pitcher Ben, who lives in Kaiapoi and works in recruitment as a senior account manager but stresses he is still very much an Otago man.
Cam is the more established member of the national squad with about 20 tests under his belt, while Ben has had to fight hard to get back in the team, and even this year had to wait patiently after being chosen initially as a non-travelling reserve.
"I’m really proud of Ben," the younger brother told the Otago Daily Times from Canada.
"He’s battled, he’s worked hard over the last decade to crack this team, and he’s getting the rewards now.
"It’s really cool to have him here. If we get a chance to pitch and catch together, I’m sure Mum and Dad might have a tear in their eye watching that at home."
Big brother said it was nice to think about the journey the pair had made together from the Dunedin diamonds to the World Cup.
"Mum sent us through a photo of the two of us at tee-ball in our Dodgers uniform at Bathgate Park," Ben said.
"It’s kind of a surreal moment. We started there, and now we get to play for New Zealand at the pinnacle of the sport.
"I couldn’t be prouder of Cam. I was proud of him at the 2022 World Cup. I was lucky enough to pitch to him against Australia at a tournament before that in Palmerston North, and that’s a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life."
Ben got the call that he would in fact be going with the Black Sox to the World Cup about a couple of months before the tournament.
He had been playing for a team in Japan in a fly-in, fly-out arrangement.
"That’s been a really valuable experience, especially because it’s pitching off the block.
"In New Zealand, we pitch off a mat, so pitching off dirt and getting used to some heat was ideal.
"I think it was 30°C in Japan for one game, and we came home to brush some ice off the pitching mat for training."
Ben has enjoyed getting pitching advice in the Black Sox from the great Chubb Tangaroa.
He will battle New Zealand pitching ace Pita Rona and Liam Potts for time on the mound and feels his hurling has developed nicely over his career.
"You know what works, and what doesn’t. And it’s just perfecting your craft, at the end of the day.
"I’ve had great guidance from Chubb. He’s been huge in terms of knowing the game plan that is going to help us be successful.
"We’re all completely different pitchers, which is good. But we’ve all bought into the game plan and it’s just about going out there and executing your roles. And listening to your catchers."
Cam is joined in the squad by accomplished fellow catcher Te Wera Bishop.
He said he enjoyed that rivalry, and both catchers were simply keen to do whatever the team needed.
His memories of the 2022 World Cup, delayed a year by Covid and hosted in Auckland, were mixed, as the Black Sox dipped out on the top six.
"I was really excited and grateful for the opportunity, but it was a bit disappointing as well," Cam said.
"To end in the lowest place the Black Sox had finished in history ... I just made it a goal to get back and help leave the jersey in a better spot.
"There’s such a proud history in softball in this country, and you just want to make the community proud."
That community has rallied behind the Watts lads.
Every member of the Black Sox squad had to raise $8000 to get to Canada.
While it has become common to see secondary school sports teams use the "got your back" fundraiser, where people pick a number and donate that amount to get their name printed on the back of a shirt, it is not something you tend to see at the elite level — but it made a huge dent in the budget.
"People think it’s a bit crazy that you have to pay to play for your country, but that’s the reality with some sports," Cam said.
"It was so cool to see family and friends and the softball community helping us out.
"People I’d never met were wanting to give money to help, and that’s really motivating for us."
His brother agreed.
"It’s just this sense of pride that people are willing to give up their hard-earned money to help us get over here and do what we do," Ben said.
There is a third Watts brother. Matt, the youngest and a handy softballer in his own right, is doing his PhD in classics and has just presented at a conference in Athens.
Proud parents Mary and Duncan had been an immense support, and the brothers would be "forever grateful" for the sacrifices they made for their sons, Cam said.
The Black Sox play their opening game in the World Cup against hosts Canada in Prince Albert tomorrow.
New Zealand have a remarkable legacy at the tournament — they have won a record seven titles and appeared in 10 consecutive finals between 1984 and 2017 — but the 2022 result was deflating, and they are ranked just eighth in the world now.
"I think the other nations see us as underdogs, and I think that sort of works well for us," Cam said.
"We’ve connected really well as a group. We had a good build-up, created a tight unit and had a really successful weekend in a tournament playing against the best teams in Canada."
Australia are the defending champions.
There are just eight teams at the tournament — the qualifiers were held across three venues last year — and the Black Sox must finish in the top two of their pool to have a chance of a podium finish.
Remarkably, the Watts brothers are just one of four sets in the team, alongside Ben and Thomas Enoka, captain Cole and Rhys Evans, and Reilly Makea and Dante Makea-Matakatea.
The latter pair are sons of head coach Thomas Makea.
Black Sox
World Cup schedule
Tomorrow: v Canada
Thursday: v Argentina
Friday: v Venezuela
