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A young Christchurch cricketer received a grant and an extra surprise to continue playing the game he loves.
Burnside all-rounder Lachlan McCormick, 9, was among several lucky cricketers from around New Zealand to receive registration fee subsidies and a gear grant, including bat, ball, gloves, pads and a bag.
The Burnside West University Cricket Club player has been saving his pocket money for a new bat but he was short of this goal.
Lachlan said he was excited to take the gear straight to the backyard to play some cricket. He practises there almost every day.
His mother Nicola McCormick said the young all-rounder has not had anything new as he gets a lot of second-hand gear from his brother.
Lachlan got into cricket because he liked watching matches with his father Dwayne and older brother Ronan.
"My brother got into cricket first," he said.
"Then, when I was seven, I played on his team because Ronan broke his arm.
"It felt good to play on my big brother’s team, they had really good bowlers.”
The Black Caps mega fan said his favourite player is Tom Latham because he played for the same cricket club.
"I like watching them play and I like getting their signatures.
"I have this hat that has their signatures on it. So far I have 10 or 11 signatures on it. It’s almost the whole team - I’m only missing Kane Williamson’s.”
Lachlan is aiming to take a double hat-trick in the upcoming cricket season.
"Last season I got a hat-trick.
"It was during the 10th over and on the last three balls I bowled them all out."
ANZ Bank New Zealand chief executive Antonia Watson said paying club fees is one of the first barriers families face when deciding if they can register their child to play.
“Sport is an essential part of a child’s well-being, so we’re pleased to be providing support to make sure Kiwi kids can keep playing the game they love.
“The increased cost of living can put families in a tough position when it comes to managing the household budget. We hope these grants will help to ease some of that pressure and keep more kids playing cricket.”
ANZ cricket grants made $100,000 available to young cricketers who would benefit from the subsidies to help take the pressure off families and make sure kids did not miss out on cricket this summer.