Last Tuesday Tane O’Neill, 14, returned from a seven-game tour of Australia as a member of the U15 Developing Sox where he played against four teams in Brisbane.
At the age of 4 he started playing softball with his older brother Hayvin.
Growing up, the brothers would practise with their older cousins who were also preparing for their respective representative tournaments.
Tane was invited to trial for the U15 Developing Sox after playing for Central Otago in an U15s tournament earlier this year.
The three-day trial was held in Palmerston North in the first week of April; three weeks later Tane found out he had made the team while he was playing squash.
Tane’s mother Hayley O’Neill said the team manager had called her asking for Tane, but did not tell her why they wanted to get in touch.
"I went back on my phone and I had, like, six missed calls from my mum and then from the selectors, and then I gave them a call and they just explained it to me," Tane said.
"I was pretty excited."
Because the team was spread throughout New Zealand, Tane was given a training plan to prepare him for the tour.
Tane described playing in Australia as more intense, but an enjoyable challenge.
Seven games were spread across the week, with the New Zealand team facing New South Wales and Queensland.
The team played five games against the U16 Queensland team, where they came back strongly after losing the first game, drawing in the second and winning the remaining three.
The enjoyment of the game and the ability to play with different people is what Tane loved about softball.
On Tuesday nights during the summer, Tane played for his Dunstan team and helped umpire games for the younger grades.
He hopes to one day represent New Zealand at a higher level, eventually playing for the Black Sox.
His mother said the huge support of the community, the Central Otago Softball Association, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua and Tuwharetoa was important as softball in New Zealand, even at a national level, was self-funded.
