The man who has scored more Test runs and more Test centuries than any other player from New Zealand was always likely to be a childhood star - but Kane Williamson’s first cricket coach says it wasn’t just his ability, but the way he carried himself that set him apart and set him on the course to be our greatest ever.

David Johnston worked for Bay of Plenty Cricket for many years and came across a young Williamson playing junior cricket, already making a name for himself. At a regional primary school tournament Johnston told Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine he witnessed something that told him that Williamson was not only a player of supreme talent, but one that understood and respected the game of cricket.

“It was in Gisborne at a Northern Districts primary school tournament, his Dad Brett was coaching them. He’d peeled off three centuries in the first three days so his dad changed the batting order, Kane came in at about eight I think. The team was in pretty serious trouble, maybe six down for not too many.

“He proceeded to work his way through and he got to the last partner and I think they might have put on about 60 or 70 for the last wicket - Kane ended up with a hundred.”

“As they walked off the field, the players stood to clap Kane and he stood back and let the young guy, who was about three or four not out at the other end, leave the field first because Kane recognised and respected he couldn’t have done that without the young man that had been batting at the other end. That’s just the mark of the boy back then at the age of 12 - and nothing’s changed.”

Williamson has become one of the most well-liked and respected cricketers in today’s game and Johnston told Pine it comes down to an insatiable desire to be better - not better than his peers, but better than himself.

“His father Brett had coach him in his early years and he’d done a very good job of establishing some pretty strong foundations in his game and once I got involved it was very obvious early on that he was not only quite talented but he had this prodigious desire to improve and I think that’s the greatest thing about Kane.”

“The desire to be better and it’s nothing to do with being better than everybody else, it’s just being better than himself. He used to practice harder than anybody else.”

“Those who know Kane and those who have thrown cricket balls to him over the years would attest to the fact that nothing’s changed he just loves to practice and loves to become better.”

One of the marks of Williamson’s ability is his appearance that things come easy to him when he is batting - Johnston says that wasn’t always the case but that is one of the factors that led to his greatness.

“I think his first game for Northern Districts he actually got a pair, playing against Auckland. So as a 16 or 17-year-old batting first drop I think it might have been Andre Adams got him LBW twice.

“So right from the start, it didn’t always happen but he had this thirst for improvement, this thirst for knowledge and thirst to be better. He dealt with it a lot better than anybody else and that’s why he’s one of the greats of today’s cricket.” 

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