It's just not cricket...

That's right; robbing dairy owners just isn't cricket. So it's nice to read about one victim's response; the Dom-Post reports:

An Indian cricket lover has described how he chased a barefooted, knife-wielding bandit from his Wellington dairy with a stump.

The 48-year-old owner of Clive's Foodmarket, whose favourite cricket player is Sachin Tendulkar, told The Dominion Post a man walked into the Newlands dairy, asked for cigarettes, showed him a knife and then demanded money about 10.40am on Monday.

The father-of-two, who emigrated from India 10 years ago, said he reached under the counter and grabbed a blue cricket stump he had stashed for protection. "I said, 'Come on, what do you want?' and he ran."

The man disappeared carrying cigarette papers and filters worth about $2.50.

Detective Sergeant Martin Todd said the robber, a 30 to 40-year-old Maori man, was seen getting into a green Nissan Navara ute, registration YD8691, near Newlands BP service station. The ute was driven by another person, down Newlands Rd, towards the highway, Mr Todd said.

It was stolen in Taupo on Wednesday.

The dairy owner – who did not want to be named, fearing for his safety – said it was the first time the store had been robbed since he bought it about four years ago.

"It [a cricket stump] is a handy thing, you know. Some people have the hockey stick, I love cricket."

We're glad that Sachin Tendulkar has had a profound and positive effect on the unnamed dairy owner, and have no doubt that he could have executed a Tendulkar-like square cut or a savage pull stroke with the stump had it proved necessary.

Or perhaps me might have umpire-like, inserted the pointy end of the stump where the sun doesn't shine. Whichever, it's more proof that you shouldn't tangle with a cricket lover! We're delighted that this particular robbery attempt was stumped!!