‘Bartletts Green’ christened

A lush green wicket has always been a welcome sight for a fast bowler – especially legendary Marlborough speedster Gary Bartlett. Now he has one that he can call his own.

On Friday, Blenheim’s newest subdivision, opposite David St on Battys Rd, was officially named. It will be called “Bartletts Green”, a tribute to Marlborough leading cricketer of the 1960s, a man regarded by cricket historian Don Neely as “New Zealand’s first bowler of devastating pace”. Gary, who played for New Zealand from 1961-68, was among a large group of interested parties, including Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor, who gathered at the Green on Friday afternoon to unveil a plaque bearing the new name on the central swathe of grass.

The idea to name the 14-section subdivision after one of the province’s sporting heroes came from sub-division developer Neil Charles-Jones of Batty Concepts Ltd.

“I just felt that the green space which dominates the subdivision was a great backyard cricket pitch,” said Neil.

“It is not council land and will be owned collectively by all the surrounding owners … perfect for backyard cricket.

“Then we started looking for an appropriate cricketer from Marlborough to name it after.

“It didn’t take much research to come up with the name of Gary Bartlett. I went to see him and he is such a humble character. I felt it was entirely appropriate given he hasn’t been recognised locally for a very, very long time.

“He is a legend of New Zealand cricket and Marlborough has forgotten about him, so I feel he deserved it,” Neil added.

Mayor Taylor agreed, suggesting Gary was not only a worthy recipient of the honour but also “long overdue”.

“It is exciting to see that Neil has recognised that.

“He has not only honoured him with a street name, he has honoured him with his own backyard cricket pitch … you can’t do better than that when you are a renowned cricketer.

“It is entirely appropriate and I feel we should shout out more about how good our people are and have been over time. That is why it is good to see this physical recognition of Gary’s outstanding career.”

The man himself said he was “humbled” by the distinction, adding that he hoped to see “heaps of youngsters using the green to play all types of sport in the years to come”.

For the record, Gary’s meteoric rise to the top of NZ cricket began as a 15-year-old when he raised eyebrows, and batsmen’s blood pressure, as a raw-boned