John Mehaffey has been captivated by international sport since he saw his first cricket test at the Basin Reserve in 1963. Graduating from Victoria University with a degree in English and history, he worked for the NZ Press Association and Australian Associated Press, then joined Reuters in London, transferring from the world desk to the sports desk in 1981. In three decades as a sports writer he has covered seven summer Olympic Games, ten world athletics championships, seven Rugby World Cups, five cricket World Cups, dozens of tests at Lord's and the Oval, as well as a variety of other sports including tennis, boxing and soccer.