Reminiscing about his earlier days in cricket, Gaudi has come a long way. Joining club cricket, he kicked off his sport life as a young teen in the Poreporena club, moving on to Raukele and then Pari club.
It was his dad, former PNG cricketer, Toka Gaudi that gave him that head start. Being the first in the family, it was only fitting that Gaudi followed in his dad’s footsteps and do something he enjoys – playing cricket.
He fondly remembers his first away tour in Fiji representing the country in the PNG U17 side in 2012. He looks back on that day with a sense of elation, saying on the team’s return his community in Hanuabada village looked up to them with pride. And they even got great advice and tips from former PNG Barramundis players from the village.
Apart from family, Gaudi gets inspiration from former Australian cricketer, Michael Hussey also known as ‘Mr Cricket’.
He breaks it down, ‘Kriket em igat tripla fomet so Michael Hussey em bin pilai long olgeta displa fomet ia.’ [There are three formats in cricket, which Michael Hussey has played in all three.]
Gaudi says in the last few weeks before departing PNG, he had been training very hard, recalibrating and he had gotten good feedback from his coaches and teammates as he aimed to emulate his role model, Mr Cricket.
Being the typical mangi nambis [boy from the sea] he enjoys the sun, sand and sea. Being the avid fisherman he loves trolling catching tuna, playing volleyball and cooling off in the sea. He says volleyball and swimming follow right after cricket as his favourite sports.
But the young Central man, humbly expresses his gratitude for the Cricket PNG team and the sport itself. He comments that the sport has truly changed his life, especially for him being a school dropout.
‘Sapos yu tingting long pilai kriket yu mas strongim na stap.’ [If you’re thinking of taking up cricket, be sure to give it your all.]
Gaudi’s message to Papua New Guinea is to show your full support. He says the boys will appreciate support from all over the country, not just from Port Moresby and Central Province.