Stephen Fleming: Life in cricket and golf

                      By Neville Idour

Popular New Zealand Open golf ambassador Stephen Fleming spent some time with Golfer Pacific talking about life, golf, cricket and other things. 

Fleming has forged a career in cricket as one of New Zealand’s best captains and batsmen and post retirement has proven to be one of the very best coaches in the T20 Indian Premier League.

So how did sport come to be a big part of life for him. Fleming was raised in Christchurch by his mother in a single parent family. 

“I have a big family whose influence was strong for me growing up.”

Was your mother into sport?

``Yes. Mum loved sport. She encouraged me to participate in rugby in the winter, cricket in the summer and sports in between. But she is a sports fan as well and was very willing to dedicate time to do the parental thing, taking me to practices and so forth.”

How about your family?

``Yes. Married with three children Taylor 17, Cooper 14 and Addison 11 years old. Girl, boy, girl so I am now in the throes of experimenting with sports for them. They are great ages so I am having a lot of fun. 

``For the girls there is a bit of basketball, a bit of netball and other sports. My son tried cricket early and didn’t like it, but now is absolutely mad on it and trying to catch up. So I am trying to coach him as best as I can. They are all active which is great.”

What sports did you first play?

``I was pretty traditional with rugby and cricket, then going through high school a bit of basketball.’'

Golf?

``Played a bit of golf with mum’s right handed clubs with friends. In my teenage years I played a lot more socially. (Fleming was a left handed cricketer). Mum played quite a bit so travelled around and I pushed her buggy a few times which was always good fun.”

When did cricket become number one?

``Quite late. I went to Cashmere High School which had a nice cricket programme without being too serious. I played the game because I enjoyed being with my mates. However, I wasn’t overly serious about the game although I enjoyed it. 

``But by the age of 17 and 18 I was making the representative sides. I then committed to having a good crack at it. However I am pleased about the late-ish start because sometimes you can over commit too early so the game really chose me to have a crack.”

So golf was never a serious contender with cricket number one?

``No, cricket was telling me cricket, not golf, so it was an easy choice, but … the social aspect of golf was something I enjoyed … and the challenge of golf which is a challenging game.”

“The great thing is cricket and golf work hand in hand so on (a cricket) tour we would play a lot of golf. That was my way of relaxing and not thinking about cricket. Jeff Crowe was manager for a while and he had a golf touring company where he would send people to destinations for golf. So we could go and play under the guise of his work. It was a good relationship.”

When did you first play as an ambassador in the New Zealand Open?

``In 2014. I didn’t know what to expect. I played with Mark Brown and had a wonderful four days where we played well enough to get through to Saturday. Mark was playing well and we had a great Saturday afternoon at The Hills. 

``Next thing I am teeing up in the last group of the New Zealand Open on Sunday. It was like wow, how good is this? To this day it is one of my fondest sporting memories because I love golf and I love tradition.

“So to be at a national golf tournament and have me inside the ropes was something else … a wonderful experience I will never forget. We didn’t get across the line but to watch these guys work at the sharp end of a competition was great.”

As for the golf courses in the Queenstown area. Your thoughts?

``I am very fond of this area for the golf courses but also the lifestyle and the feeling you get when you come down here and I come down here a lot with friends. As soon as you get off the plane or drive down it is a wonderful relaxed feeling. I think it is one of the best places in the world to stay and have fun.”

Any favourite courses in New Zealand you want to mention?

``I love Wairakei. It is a beautiful course. Clearwater I enjoy. Naturally these courses in Queenstown. Millbrook is probably my favourite as I love the area around there and think it is magnificent. I have no style or design preference. I enjoy any good course.”

Coming back to the challenge of golf what particularly spins your wheels?

``From one day to another for the amateur player, somedays you can feel you are unbeatable and on other days you feel like you have new arms. It is just an incredibly difficult game, so playing regularly is important because it seems like muscle memory loss with golf is incredible. If I don’t hit a ball for a week I am nowhere. So I need repetition to be any good and getting better every time is a great goal.”

Fleming is on a 7.5 handicap.

Coming back to cricket and your coaching?

``I have been coaching Chennai in the Indian Premier League since 2008.’'

The response to that is wow. How many coaches last 15 years with the same team in top sport?

“When I finished my playing career I was bought by Chennai so it has been a big part of my life. I am very fortunate. Some people don’t like the format of 20-20 but for me as a past player to stay involved with cricket and the best players in the world, this tournament is fantastic.

“You have got millions of fans everywhere. It is quite intoxicating to be involved and there are a couple of other T20 tournaments as well. So I feel lucky as it has been like a cricket drug for 20 years. 

``Sometimes when people stop they struggle because it is a big change to go from being a cricket player and tourist to having nothing. To have the ability for three or four months a year to still be doing what I love … very lucky.”

Does the family have a share?

``The family comes over. They have had a lot of years in India at the tournament. They get looked after beautifully. It is a professional tournament that has taken cricket to a new level. For players now and the money, the opportunities through these franchises are very high.”

So for the future. Is it more of the same?

``Results permitting yes. I feel like I am always learning as a coach and getting better.’'

Kiwis in your team?

``Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner. We also had Kyle Jamieson. All the way through we have had a number of good Kiwis in the side like Brendan McCullum and Jacob Oram.”

How about coaching the New Zealand cricket team. Is that a possibility?

``We have had discussions. I am specialised now in the T20 format. When you look at their schedule there are not many T20 games so from a coaching point of view it still makes sense to have a white ball coach and a red ball coach. 

``The time frame around that is still pretty time prohibitive, especially with my family. So up until now the time I am away doing stuff in India is perfect, so re-committing to another whole year’s programme is going to be a wee bit tough. I’m passionate about the Black Caps and a big fan and have good relationships with the players. So even though I haven’t got an official role I love helping them out and working with them.”

What if New Zealand Cricket came to you and said we would like you to apply for the Black Caps job?

``No, that’s not something for me at the moment.” 

On that note we thanked Stephen for sharing his sporting life with us.