We sat at a picnic table looking over the 10th hole under the glorious sun, alongside Joey Yovich, a former New Zealand A teammate and icon of Northern Districts cricket, but more importantly, somebody who has stuck by Vincent during the triumphs and tribulations.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the Herald, Vincent says the changes have helped him become a half-glass-full person these days rather than half-empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest positive confidence booster for me was forgiveness,\u201d Vincent says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw it for the first time when I went out and played Black Clash in Christchurch last year, and being an Aucklander, being clapped on to the field by a whole bunch of Cantabs was like, \u2018you\u2019ve definitely done something right\u2019, and it made me feel okay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I earned that respect because I didn\u2019t hide behind all my excuses. We\u2019ve all made mistakes. We\u2019re all young and innocent and we don\u2019t go looking for trouble, but unfortunately, as we get older, sometimes trouble comes our way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people go, \u2018Oh, welcome back, good on you\u2019. I feel accepted now. We all make mistakes and I\u2019ve had a lot of influential people say to me, \u2018You\u2019re a dickhead and an idiot, but you\u2019ve got my respect\u2019. That\u2019s all we want in life, respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lou Vincent with fans at the Black Clash. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
The simple things<\/p>\n
The healing process is still at the early stages, but the core foundations, which start with family, have been laid.<\/p>\n
The 47-year-old\u2019s making the most of every opportunity, with his wife Jilly and their two kids, Vinnie and Lulu, who was born in mid-November, by treasuring the simple things in life that are common in many households around New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Every time he talks about family, he has a beaming smile on his face, showing the importance of what they mean to him.<\/p>\n
He still has a deep desire to reconnect with his two eldest daughters from a previous relationship and he hopes that by showing he has truly turned a corner, that relationship, too, can be rebuilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think anyone that\u2019s gone through the rock bottom, there\u2019s always going to be scars that are there,\u201d Vincent says. \u201cYou do look at them every now and again and it reminds you of some pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a couple more chapters that need to play out to fulfil my happiness, including reconnecting with my daughters who are 19 and 16. It\u2019s a delicate situation, but I think once whatever life brings to create that sort of connection again, then it\u2019ll be 100% full.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe universe will give that message out there and there\u2019s always a roof over the head when they decide to find me one day.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now to meet a beautiful woman and to have a second chance at a family, it just lightens your heart. My son was on a boogie board catching a wave for the first time not long ago and it was a pretty special moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lou Vincent receives his cap. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Sharing his story<\/p>\n
As part of giving back, Vincent has become community oriented and generous with his time.<\/p>\n
At events, he makes the effort to say hello and shake everyone\u2019s hand. He is an ambassador for Northland-based ReSport, a charity that collects new and gently used sports gear to share with people in need in the community, along with being a patron of the Movember Sports Club.<\/p>\n
Being back in the public eye was something he initially feared, but he now understands the importance of sharing his story, not just the dark past, but also the solace of overcoming the adversity.<\/p>\n
Part of that involves speaking at conferences and meeting with community sports groups to discuss the dangers of match-fixing and the warning signs administrators should look for.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to give back to sport and share my story with and my experiences to hopefully warn future young athletes is massive,\u201d Vincent says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing work with all sorts of different sporting associations and whenever there\u2019s money, there\u2019s temptation and unfortunately, we\u2019re seeing grooming, we\u2019re seeing all sorts of avenues that they use to try and sort of get players, who are literally puppets in the day to be corrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to think that I have an impact and that awareness and that\u2019s our biggest weapon, education, because it\u2019s never going to stop that corruption in any industry. Sport gives you a superficial ego because you\u2019re out there and a lot of people want to know you because you\u2019re playing for New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI quickly realised in my career after the match-fixing situation that it\u2019s all fake. Like when the time comes to tough challenges, it\u2019s only one or two people that really stick by you.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of those people is Yovich, who has been a soundboard for Vincent to lean on and everything has brought their bond closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen a guy that can\u2019t hit more than rock bottom,\u201d Yovich said. \u201cTo his credit, he put his hand up and owned it, and from there we\u2019ve seen the personal growth of the man and what he\u2019s gone through to what he\u2019s achieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cMental health is a big one for Lou and wherever he tells his story, it\u2019s looking forward with a positive light.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pretty lucky to have a guy that can share and continue to give back in the way because that\u2019s how we learn, right? If we hold on to things it\u2019s no good to anyone. That\u2019s been pretty special to see this guy\u2019s development and growth and just making good choices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joey Yovich and Lou Vincent during a ReSport charity event. Photo \/ NZ Herald<\/p>\n
Yovich believes much of Vincent\u2019s redemption has come from surrounding himself with good people.<\/p>\n
\u201cLou\u2019s not frightened to pick up the phone and have a conversation and we just talk through things and it works both ways, I pick his brains on various things as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be the first one to say he\u2019s going to have his ups and downs still, through the mental health side of things, but many people are dealing with this challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s cool to see what he\u2019s achieved off the field with his family. It\u2019s a theme that\u2019s come through this conversation. He\u2019s got three lovely daughters and a little boy, and who knows where it\u2019s going to head. They\u2019re pretty lucky to have a dad like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent doesn\u2019t have much memorabilia on display other than his test debut jersey when he scored a century against Australia in Perth, but he\u2019s content with that.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s excited for what the future holds. <\/p>\n
In October he fronted a Victorian Police conference on the subject of protecting integrity in sport, and he will do the same in March at the New Zealand Sport integrity conference.<\/p>\n
He also has one trip coming up he can\u2019t wait for, when he heads overseas to help lay the foundations at Ibiza Cricket Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be using my building skills to help develop the ground and do some coaching,\u201d Vincent says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to get a lot more young players playing cricket in Ibiza of all places. I\u2019ve got a fizz for helping cricket grow in a country I never thought I\u2019d live in.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for now, Vincent wants to make the most of family and summer in the glistening Northland region.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always can\u2019t wait to get home,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait to change another dirty nappy. I can\u2019t wait to do dinner. I can\u2019t wait to put the rubbish out. I can\u2019t wait to get to bed at like 7.30 p.m. Just to catch up on some sleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimple stuff is the most important things that are rewarding. I think we can drain a lot of our time giving too much, so it\u2019s just giving in a real, you know, real simplistic way.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery morning, I walk out with a coffee, put it on the bench, go for a swim, come back and then my son sits on my lap and wants to jump off and just do cartwheels down the sand dune. It\u2019s a special way to start and finish the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent will feature again in the 2026 Black Clash taking place this month at Mount Maunganui.<\/p>\n