Chainsaw at rugby after seesaw Test
| 21:36 UK time, Saturday, 8 March 2008
After the excitement of Ryan Sidebotttom’s hat-trick on day four of the Test in Hamilton, our Saturday evening took a more bizarre turn when we saw a man leaning out of a cherry picker, wielding a revved up chainsaw at a Super 14 rugby match.
I kid you not.
A number of the cricket media were invited to Waikato Stadium to watch the .
The evening was extremely relaxed, enjoyed by among others, TMS’s Christopher Martin-Jenkins, producer Adam Mountford, Sir Ian Botham, David Gower and Bob Willis.
The fan with the chainsaw is, believe it or not, a tree surgeon by day. Apparently he used to regularly stand right by the advertising hoardings at the front of the stand nearest to the pitch, switching on his chainsaw and wielding it in the air at regular intervals to rouse his side - a Waikato version of the football rattle maybe.
I’m told the chainsaw never had a blade on it (although I cant believe he was ever let in the ground with it in the first place).
But when our host for the evening, Mark Christie, took over as event facilities manager at the stadium six years ago, he said he tried to ban the chap, because he thought the noise was disturbing to others, and that maybe holding aloft a raging chainsaw – blade or no blade - wasn’t the most appropriate way to cheer on your team at a family event.
The move prompted uproar among the Waikato faithful, for whom the chainsaw man had become a cult figure.
A compromise was reached whereby chainsaw man now has his own space in which to stand (hence the cherry picker stooping high over the stand at one end of the pitch) and he agreed to only switch the motor on at certain moments of high drama.
I noticed him for the first time when the Chiefs scored their first try just after half time. It took a while to work out where the revving was coming from as it cut through the cheering of the crowd.
But there he was, just visible against the darkening sky, shoulders back, standing proudly with one arm raised triumphantly, and in his hand, the chainsaw.
It was also good to see several of the England players at the rugby, able to switch off for a few hours in the middle of a Test match.
Coach Peter Moores, Paul Collingwood, Phil Mustard, Stuart Broad and his father Chris, all appeared on the big screen during the game – ‘Colonel’ waving madly in the wrong direction, as soon as he realised they were being filmed.
The Chiefs came from 17-0 down to win 22-20, by the way, setting the stage for the fifth day of this Test match, where a tense end is in prospect to a game which at one stage threatened to meander into a long, slow draw.
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The popularity of the chainsaw probably stems from a Waikato Draught (the local beer) TV commercial in the early 90's.
A forestry worker walks into an empty bar after a days work and wonders where all his mates are. He goes outside and revs his chainsaw a few times, his mates respond with a few blasts themselves from deep within the forest to let him know they're on their way for a beer.
If that isn't the case then the guy really is crazy and should be locked up immediately!
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Re the chainsaw guy, quite a few years ago, as a newly promoted Police Sergeant and new to Hamilton as well, I was working at a Waikato rugby home game at this ground one afternoon.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I observed and heard this guy waving around a chainsaw on a cherry picker and marched over there & ordered him to lower himself down so I could speak to him.
Of course the crowd (and my now ex-colleagues) all knew who he was & thought this was a huge joke. He assured me it had the chain removed so was harmless & tied to the cherrypicker etc. By that time I'd started to click that he was an identity at every game & I quickly tried to slink back to my post unnoticed, not entirely successfully I would have to add.
I guess the rugby wasn't the only entertainment at the park that day.
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I'm far too depressed to even bother to write my reaction to what happened in Hamilton.
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Didn't know a chainsaw had a blade!
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Pietersen is the elephant in the room. He has been built up by the media as a genius to the point where the team count on him and like Bradman in the old days if he fails the team fails. Bradman though averaged over 99 in his test career. It is about time the selectors realised they have ben sold a media pup. When he was injured in the last tour of Australia team results in the one dayers were much better. Put him out to grass for a bit.
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Try attending the Moto GP's at Mugello/Assen/Brno/Misano and you'll see lots of chainsaws (often with food dye added to the fuel to create clouds of coloured smoke). Usually without blades fitted although I have seem some with blades.
You will also see car and bike engines (removed from their original host vehicles), sometimes on trolleys, being revved senseless - often until they expire.The noise is deafening but the locals seem oblivious.
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A long, slow draw would have been lovely.
However you do need aptitude, commitment and concentration to get them.
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Cannot help thinking that Matt Prior would have been able to bat long and well enough in the second innings to at least get us a draw or perhaps a win. But the media destroyed him just like thay have overhyped Pieterson. Like football there are too many old pro's around the England cricket team offering their "four penny"'s worth.
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a pathetic performance england.
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So much expectation yet so little delivered !!!
England were ill prepared or maybe still jet-lagged ?
This is test cricket after all !! England needs to wake up and play !!
No one seems brave enough to take the game or any part of it to the opposition !!
Vaughn's dogdy knee !!! Has anyone else picked up his poor fielding form or just me ?
Gutted but really not surprized by their poor performance !
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Ill prepared?? What the warm up games weren't enough?
Jet Lagged ?? Been in NZ for what? a month now? Didn't know it was so far between Otago and Hamilton. What is it 60-90 minute flight.
Maybe just maybe England are not as good as they think they are? Maybe just maybe they shouldn't believe the Press/Hype that surrounds them?
What have England done that allows all this "We are Great we can disrespect other teams" ok an Ashes win years ago, Knighthoods OBE's but nothing since. maybe just maybe it was a fluke?
Ive been to Hamilton a few times and seen that Chain-saw bloke and he is a Classic, glad to see PC and Health and Safety Police aren't rife in NZ lol
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sometimes its simply a confidence thing England dont have much of that
Whatever we have its more than England..The underdogs have become the top dogs but Cricket well it can change in a moment.When we lost all those wickets on day 4 I thought if they can do that so can we and so it was..By the way well done Sidebottom that was a fantastic achievement
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Chainsaw man (aka Davey Crocket to my partner) is my absolute hero. I'm going to my first game just to see this guy. He's my hero. I go into hysterics everytime i hear that revving!
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