Lord Plunket’s Shield

In New Zealand cricket’s recent announcement of the Plunket Shield schedule for the 2014-15 season, they also unveiled a new logo for the competition. While they were developing this logo, the New Zealand Cricket Museum was asked to provide some historical information on the Shield to help inform, and hopefully inspire, the design. We’re not design critics, so we’re not here to pass judgement on the final logo, although we do think it’s a tidy nod to the heritage of New Zealand’s premiere cricket trophy. A heritage we think is worth exploring a little more.

Lord William Lee Plunket was the 5^th Baron Plunket and the 12^th man to serve as Governor of New Zealand once we became a self-governing colony. His tenure as Governor of New Zealand began in 1904 and immediately followed the Earl of Ranfurly’s term in the role. Ranfurly is perhaps best remembered today by the Ranfurly Shield, the trophy he donated in 1902 for the nation’s provinces to play for on the rugby field under a challenge system. Based on an unbeaten record during the 1902 season, Auckland were gifted the Ranfurly Shield and became its first holders. Strangely, their entire 1903 season was played away, meaning no teams had the opportunity to challenge for the Shield. In 1904, at their first attempt to defend it, Auckland promptly lost the Ranfurly Shield to Wellington.

Perhaps inspired by Ranfurly’s donation, Lord Plunket began his role as Governor of New Zealand by donating his own trophy; the Plunket Shield. Much like the Ranfurly Shield, the Plunket Shield was intended as a challenge trophy and was presented, initially, to the province with the best provincial record over the previous season. This wasn’t without controversy, however, as Auckland hadn’t played any provincial matches the previous season but had proved to be very tough opposition for the MCC team that toured. Auckland proposed that the MCC side were given the honour of selecting the Shield’s first holders. At a meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council on May 15 1907, delegates spent some time debating the Shield’s first home with Canterbury eventually winning a vote by 11 to 6.

The Shield itself was completed early in 1907 and toured around the country with the Governor before being taken to the New Zealand Cricket Council for their decision on the first holder. The Shield features a silver shield with the Plunket family crest and motto at the top and relief images of a cricketer, cabbage tree and fern. It also has engravings, described at the time as being, of “Maori figures and characteristic scrolls”. Originally mounted on a cedar backing with 22 shields, this backing was exchanged for a larger timber backing sometime after 1930. By the 1970s, the Shield had grown even further with another layer of timber added – this is the Plunket Shield as it appears today. The shape of the silhouetted shield in New Zealand Cricket’s new logo references the shape of the Plunket Shield’s silver centrepiece while the Plunket family crest features prominently.

Wellington’s victorious 1962 Plunket Shield side.
NZ Cricket Museum collection

Just as it was with the Ranfurly Shield, the team given the honour of being the inaugural holders lost the Shield at the first challenge. In this case, Auckland gained some revenge, and perhaps proved they should have been the first holders, when they travelled down to Lancaster Park and claimed a resounding innings and 135-run win.

From that first challenge match in 1907, the Plunket Shield bounced back-and-forth between Canterbury and Auckland until 1920-21, when Wellington won it for the first time. The following season, the Plunket Shield format switched to a points’ competition and returned to Auckland. Since then, the points’ format has remained, although the Plunket Shield did have a period (1974-75 to 2008-09) where sponsor’s trophies won the day and it was retired to the New Zealand Cricket Museum. During that time it was also, twice, the trophy played for in the North v. South one day match. Thankfully it is back in its rightful place on the field and, with this new logo celebrating its heritage, it seems the Plunket Shield is here to stay as New Zealand cricket’s major trophy.

Testing the Ferns

On the 6^th of May 1934, delegates from each of New Zealand’s provincial centres were invited to a meeting in Oamaru with the intention of establishing a New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council (NZWCC). There had been a steady increase in the number of women playing the game since the first interprovincial match in 1910, with the Amalgamated Theatres Shield being the centrepiece of the provincial game prior to the Council’s foundation. After the NZWCC was established, progress was quick in organising competition with the English encouraged here for a tour in 1935.

The 1935 White Ferns.
NZ Cricket Museum collection

The 1935 English side had already planned to visit Australia before their trip was extended to include New Zealand. It’s remarkable in today’s sporting environment that the team had to pay its own way to Australia, and then the extra to add on the New Zealand tour. The NZWCC looked to help out their visitors by billeting players and providing them with a portion of the gate takings from the tour. They also ensured a hefty amount of sightseeing was included in the New Zealand experience.

When the English players left Australia in January 1935, it was 6 months since they had left England. Their arrival in Auckland was delayed by a day, further cramming the schedule for the tour and forcing the players straight off the boat and onto Eden Park to face Auckland. There didn’t appear to be any ill-effects from their journey as the English put on a brilliant display of “all-round cricket ability” that would’ve done “credit to the best of men’s teams”. The comparison to men’s cricket was regularly used in the New Zealand press since women were still developing their presence in the game – in England and Australia comparisons were slowly fading through years of high-quality competition.

Following the Auckland match, Betty Archdale, the English captain, proclaimed to the press that their opponents had “no need to be nervous” – she thought the Aucklanders were “quaking at the knees” when they came in to bat. In spite of this encouragement from the opposition, the provinces put up little resistance against a very good English side of experienced cricketers. As they travelled down the country, England drew with Auckland, Wanganui, Canterbury, Otago and Invercargill (who all had to follow-on before time ran out in the one-day matches), while Wellington were beaten by an innings and 75 runs. But England saved their best for last.

At Lancaster Park on February 16, 1935, the White Ferns made their first Test appearance. Where the tour matches were played on just one day, the Test was played over two days – giving England the time to push on for a huge victory by an innings and 337 runs. There were encouraging signs for the young New Zealanders, though: in the second innings Margaret Marks stoically batted for over 115 minutes to make 22, while New Zealand improved on their first innings total of 44 by making 122 for 9 (captain Ruth Symons was absent injured).

The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
NZ Cricket Museum collection

Around 3000 spectators turned out for the match, proving that public interest in cricket was high in New Zealand at the time. While New Zealand would have to wait 13 years before playing another Test, the legacy of this English tour was felt in domestic cricket much sooner. Following the tour, Mr Hallyburton Johnstone donated a shield in his name for competition amongst the provinces. Initially played for in 1936 on a challenge basis, the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield remained the premier women’s cricket trophy in New Zealand until 1982.

 

August 21^st marks 10 years since the White Ferns last Test match began. How good would it be to see our current crop carrying on the Test tradition started by Ruth Symons and her teammates 79 years ago?

 

From Leonard to Harry: the Cave family legacy

Harry Cave shakes hands with King George VI during New Zealand’s 1949 UK tour. – NZ Cricket Museum collection

When Harry Cave was selected to play Test cricket for New Zealand in 1949 he was fulfilling the promise of an entire family, a family who could’ve had a New Zealand representative a generation earlier if war had not intervened.

In the years before WWI, cricket in Wanganui was dominated by the Cave family; five brothers who all shared a passion for cricket and farming. When Taranaki and Wanganui combined to take on the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1900, Leonard, Ken and Henry took to the field while Wilfred and Arthur stood as umpires. Ken would go on to umpire New Zealand’s first Test in 1930, while Henry would see his son, Harry, represent New Zealand. The future was not so bright for Leonard, however.

In 1915, Leonard left the farm he was working with Harry and joined the 7^th Reinforcements of the New Zealand Field Artillery. Embarking from Wellington in October 1915, Leonard’s service saw him stationed at the Somme in 1916 where he was wounded, forcing a stay in a London Hospital for several months. In 1917 he returned to action where, by October, he was stationed in Belgium. On the 18^th of October 1917, Leonard Philip Cave was killed during a German air raid.

Leonard was often described as the best cricketer of the Cave brothers, in fact one report after his death noted that he was perhaps the best cricketer Wanganui had produced. All the potential that he held would eventually be fulfilled by his brother’s son, Harry.

Like his father and Leonard before him, Harry took up farming with his brother, Tom. This relationship allowed Harry to take time off to pursue his cricketing ambitions, which lead to Harry winning the Hawke Cup with Wanganui, the Plunket Shield with Central Districts, the New Zealand Cricket Alamanck Player of the Year award, and the New Zealand Test captaincy.

But Harry Cave’s legacy goes far beyond his achievements on the pitch. The New Zealand Cricket Museum archive contains letters, photographs, diaries and mementos of Harry’s life and cricketing career. While they contain every detail of what it was like to be a touring amateur sportsman in the 1940s & 50s, they also highlight the dedication and sacrifice required to be a farmer and a family man at a time when a tour to the UK meant months overseas. Best of all, everything is in his own words.

An excerpt from Harry Cave’s 1949 UK tour diary and a photo from the match mentioned. – NZ Cricket Museum collection

22 of Southland, 15 of Canterbury

In the summer of 1876-77, James Lillywhite brought a team of England’s best cricketers out to New Zealand and Australia. Beginning with games against Australian domestic sides, Lillywhite’s All England XI then jumped the ditch to take on our domestic teams before returning to Australia to play cricket’s first ever Test matches. While much has been made of those Tests, Lillywhite’s All England XI enjoyed a successful, and somewhat unusual, tour to New Zealand that is seldom mentioned.

Each New Zealand domestic side that faced off against the All England XI featured 22 players in an attempt to even up the score. It didn’t work. Lillywhite’s side brushed aside Auckland, Wellington, Taranaki, Nelson and Southland, inflicting innings’ defeats. Canterbury put up more of a fight, losing by just 23 runs, while Westland and Otago managed to hang on for the draw. What was particularly unusual about these sides was that they didn’t just use 22 batsmen, they had 22 players in the field too – making it close to impossible for Lillywhite’s batsmen to pick the gaps.

In all these games, the highest score managed by any batsman on the New Zealand sides was the 31 made by Auckland’s Robert Yates in the tour opener. At the other end of the scale, the scorecards for the 8 domestic sides featured a combined total number of more than 100 ducks. To give that some perspective, New Zealand played 26 years of Test cricket before they recorded 100 ducks.

Southland were the last New Zealand side to play the All England XI and they didn’t fare any better than the others, losing by an innings and 65 runs. The tour had been squeezed into such a tight schedule that Lillywhite’s players had to leave on the match’s final afternoon. This led the Southland batsmen to take their time getting to the crease after each dismissal, a ploy that proved unsuccessful as there was still time after the game finished for an official farewell before the visitors departed. While the lack of competition offered by Southland was unlikely to be ideal preparation for the momentous occasion to follow, the same eleven players represented England in their first Test against Australia.

In a twist of touring, when the Australians toured New Zealand in 1878, Southland were the first side to take them on. This gave Southland the unique honour of being the last side to play England before the first Tests, and the first international side to play Australia after the first Tests. Not bad for the southernmost cricket association. Unfortunately for Southland their performance didn’t improve in the time between hosting these international sides: Australia won by an innings and 139 runs after Charles Bannerman hit 125 and Fred Spofforth took 14 wickets in the first innings. In a show of generosity to their hosts, Spofforth didn’t bowl at all in the second innings.

The ball used in the Canterbury XV v. Australian XI match in 1878.
– NZ Cricket Museum collection

The 1878 Australians didn’t enjoy quite as successful a tour as the All England XI. While they inflicted serious defeats on Southland, Wellington and Auckland, Otago and Oamaru held out for draws. However the most incredible result of the tour was against Canterbury, the formative powerhouse of New Zealand cricket. Where the other domestic sides followed the pattern of the All England tour and played 22 against Australia’s 11, Canterbury were deemed to be serious-enough competition to play just 15. Part of the reason for Canterbury’s early dominance of cricket in New Zealand, and their performance in this match, may have been due to their selection strategy: of Canterbury’s 15, only John Fowler was NZ-born and another member of the side was William Rees, WG Grace’s cousin. After bowling the highly-touted Australians out for just 46 in the first innings, Canterbury went on to win the historic match by 6 wickets.

The Maorilanders

Throughout the 1920s and 30s, New Zealand cricket sides embarked on many significant tours that enhanced the reputation of the nation, both as cricketers and as people. While some of these tours feature prominently in the records and histories of New Zealand cricket, there is one that has almost universally been forgotten. In 1935, 13 young up-and-coming New Zealand cricketers embarked on a tour of Fiji under the name the Maorilanders.

By 1935 the term ‘Maorilanders’ was almost a forgotten one in New Zealand, and rightly so. In the latter years of the 1880s and early 1900s it was a common name for New Zealand sporting teams, and for New Zealanders in general. The 1905 re-naming of the national rugby team to the All Blacks, and the prominence of the kiwi on WW1 uniforms, largely signalled a move away from names like Maorilanders, Fernlanders and En Zedders. In that sense, the 1935 Maorilanders were amongst the last of a generation.

The tour was the brainchild of Ernest Beale, an Aucklander with a strong reputation for organising colts’ teams and tours. Beale gained the sanction of the New Zealand Cricket Council and approval from the Auckland Cricket authorities (where most of the players were based) to ensure that there was no conflict for players. It also meant that the side was an official New Zealand side, yet the youth of the players, the perceived standard of the opposition and the poor quality of pitches and outfields have seen it ignored in official records.

With an average age of just 22, the Maorilanders arrival at Fiji on December 19 1935 would’ve been the first journey overseas for many of their members. There were ten matches scheduled to be played before their departure in mid-January, giving the team members some spare time to enjoy the local hospitality, beaches, sun and Fijian customs. Bruce Massey, the team captain and one of just four players who featured in First Class cricket, reported back that Sutherland could play the ukulele and Riley was a good singer which meant the team “could fare all right when the occasion arose”. It was also noted that two of the team “knew the haka”.

The tour opened with a match against the Suva 2^nd XI, where Ted Dunning immediately adapted to the conditions, hitting 135 before retiring. While the New Zealanders acquitted themselves well in most games, they constantly struggled with the pitches which were often woven matting over concrete. The outfields also made run-scoring difficult – one was described as having “grass, six inches” long, no doubt due to the almost six months of constant rain that preceded the tour. In spite of the conditions, the two-‘Test’ series was shared 1-1.

The Maoriland & Fiji cricket teams pose together following the second ‘Test’ in 1936.
– From PA Snow’s Cricket In The Fiji Islands

When the side returned to New Zealand after a month in the Fiji sun, they were described as “bronzed and cheerful” but their time as a team was not over. In recognition of the team’s positive role in strengthening ties between the two nations, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce got together with Auckland Cricket and arranged a game against a colts’ side for January 21 and 22. The most notable aspect of that game was the performance of a young colt name Merv Wallace who smashed 169*.

Maorilanders team 1935-36: EC Beale (manager), HB Massey (captain), DL Martin, MJ Hewitt, JR Norris, EN Vipond, EJ Dunning, L Wyatt, KL Sandford, E Sutherland, LE Riley, CV Walter, HN Windle, EC Andrews

White Ferns & the Empire

On the 21^st of January 1938, the largest group of New Zealand athletes to ever travel overseas assembled at Wellington’s Queen’s Wharf. In the harbour, the steamer Wanganella was being loaded in preparation for the 8pm sailing to Sydney. Australia was in the midst of celebrating its 150^th anniversary and, in just a few days, the Empire Games would begin in Sydney. On Queen’s Wharf, athletic champions stood alongside the Governor General, cyclists and rowers compared training notes, and the women of the New Zealand cricket side prepared for their very first overseas tour. The significance of the occasion made this perhaps the most celebrated cricket team to leave New Zealand. The morning of departure saw the team enjoy morning tea hosted by Prime Minister Savage, followed by a civic farewell at Wellington’s town hall.

The 1938 White Ferns squad that toured to Sydney.
L-R; I Johns, M Holmes, M Taylor, P Blackler, M Hollis, M Corby;
Seated; E Ingram, I Pickering (C), D Simons (M), R Martin (VC), J Fowler;
Front; D Hatcher, M Thomas.

The 13 members of that White Ferns side were bound for Sydney for a five match tour, highlighted by a 3-day match against New South Wales. Three years had passed since the White Ferns had made their Test debut, and it would be a further ten years before they played Test cricket again, making this tour vital to the continued development of the game. The importance of development was exemplified by the age of the team which included 15-year-old Ida Johns and 25-year-old manager Dot Simons. The team’s oldest members were just 26, although four players had featured against England in 1935, giving the team some much-needed experience.

The first match the tourists played was on board the Wanganella against members of the Empire Games’ team. After a couple of days of rough seas that left even the wrestling team absent at dinner, the cricketers “cleaned up” their shipboard opposition. The weather on the voyage across the Tasman would prove a sample of things to come as the team’s first few games in Sydney coincided with torrential rain. This resulted in the match against NSW Juniors abandoned with New Zealand in good shape for victory, while the marquee 3-day game against NSW became a 1-day game which New Zealand narrowly lost on the first innings. A further narrow loss to South Metropolitan was evened out by comfortable victories against North Metropolitan and Combined Country.

As with the New Zealanders side that toured England in 1927, the performances of this New Zealand team served to reinforce New Zealand’s growing skills on the cricket field. In fact, reports from the tour indicated that the Australians had expressed a serious interest in bringing their national team for a tour and Test matches against the White Ferns. Unfortunately, war would intervene and Australia would not visit until 1948 when their tour began against unusual opposition: Matamata.

A Forgotten Legacy

There are several notable dates in the early history of New Zealand cricket, from the country’s first interprovincial match in 1860, to our first Test match in 1930. Amongst all the others there is one date that is, almost always, overlooked: March 26 1910. On this day, Easter Saturday, at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, Canterbury met Wellington in New Zealand’s first women’s interprovincial match.

Like many other Commonwealth countries, women playing cricket was not a new phenomenon in New Zealand in 1910. Records of the game, here and overseas, have included references to men and women playing the game from about the same point in history. The earliest games, involving both men and women, tended to be played as fundraisers, exhibitions or between “married” and “single” teams. However, men’s sides organised themselves into clubs and representive teams as soon as interest grew, for women it simply took longer for that interest to reach critical mass. As such, organised women’s cricket was a relatively new development in 1910. Reports from 1909 indicate that Wellington and Dunedin each had three women’s cricket clubs, while Auckland’s first club was established that year. The strength of women’s cricket in Canterbury isn’t noted but, given their overall strength in the game, it’s likely that they were at the forefront.

This is emphasised by the result of the game played at Easter 1910: Canterbury won by over 230 runs. Details of the match are a little sketchy – different reports feature different scores – but there were some exceptional performances; including Miss A. Scott’s 61, Miss I. Scott’s 56, Miss Mahoney’s 4 for 65, and Miss I. Curlett’s 4 for 11. Curlett’s figures are worth noting as she was the only Canterbury bowler to take a wicket in spite of Wellington making just 41; the other six batters were run out.

Although this match is recognised as New Zealand’s first interprovincial women’s match, very little detail is known about it. Some reports indicate that the teams selected to represent their provinces were essentially drawn from two clubs: Opawa in Christchurch and Wellington North in the capital. In spite of this, there are players in both teams whose names appear for other clubs in their regions. The scorecards refer to the players only by their initials and not a single player’s first name is noted. When the return match was played a year later at Kelburn Park in Wellington, only Canterbury’s Ida Collins was named in full.

We think it’s important to fill in the blanks from this game and the players involved so we can further celebrate their pioneering role in New Zealand Cricket. If you know anything about the game or the players involved, please drop us an email at cricket@wmt.org.nz.

We’ll keep you updated with what we find.

Off The Cuff

Ted Badcock, due to the fortunate positioning of his name alphabetically, is recognised as our very first Black Cap. Tom Lowry has the honour of being New Zealand’s first Test captain. But only one man can lay claim to being New Zealand’s first representative cricketer, cricket captain, and dual international; Leonard Albert Cuff. Or just Len to his mates.

Len Cuff, The Observer 1895 http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TO18950413.2.11.1

Born in Christchurch in 1866, Len’s cricketing career was slow to flourish after he gained his first mention in the newspaper as a member of the Shipping side (alongside his father) against the Mercantile team in 1882. Working his way up from the Lancaster Park Cricket Club’s 3rd Grade side, Len spent most of the 1880s playing club cricket in Christchurch. His achievements were notable enough to see him selected to play for Canterbury against the touring Lillywhite’s XI in 1888, however his record was inconsistent at best.

Len’s cricketing inconsistency may have been due to the competing sporting passions in his life. Between 1888 and 1890, Len’s noted as being on the committee for the Lancaster Park Cricket Club, the secretary of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club, and the treasurer of the Christchurch Baseball Club. He also represented Canterbury in rugby, was a three-time New Zealand long jump champion and, later in life, was a Tasmanian golf and lawn bowls champion.

Leonard’s sporting achievements were notable but they were equally matched by his other administrative and community roles, particularly after he moved to Australia in 1899. Len lived in Tasmania until his death in 1954, serving on the St John Ambulance Association, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and numerous other groups. He also designed 5 golf courses. When he had the time.

However, Len’s athletic ambitions had taken precedence in 1892 as he travelled to the UK and Europe with the NZ athletic team – a trip he organised. According to his obituary, Len secured three first placings, three seconds and three thirds on this tour – including a silver medal at an international meet in Paris. It was at the Paris meet that Cuff met Pierre de Coubertin, the man who would go on to establish the modern Olympics two years later. Their meeting in 1892 was fateful for Len as he became Australiasia’s first representative on the International Olympic Committee in 1894, largely due to his familiarity to de Coubertin.

There is a bit of debate about Len’s effectiveness as a member of the IOC: he was on the committee until 1905 but New Zealand didn’t attend the Olympics until 1908. Again, this was likely due to his competing passions as, in 1894, Leonard Cuff was selected to captain New Zealand’s first representative cricket side in a match against New South Wales in Christchurch. He played in New Zealand’s first four representative matches, with his highlight being 50 in the second innings of the 1896 match against Australia. Unfortunately, that match didn’t have First Class status; New Zealand used 15 batsmen to level the field.

The bat used by Len Cuff from 1892 to 1895.
NZ Cricket Museum collection

What’s In A Name?

“Long slip” is an outdated cricket term that, essentially, equates to short third man in modern cricketing field placements. In a sport with so many unique, and often confusing, terms, long slip is one that has been left with the “bumpers” and “bosies”. So, why have we resurrected it in the name of our blog? To start with, it has nothing to do with our fondness for thick outside edges.

From May 1901 to February 1916, New Zealand’s premier cricket columnist went by the pseudonym, Long Slip. Opinionated and outspoken, Long Slip‘s columns covered club, domestic, national and international cricket. Writing largely for the Otago Witness and Otago Daily Times, Long Slip gave readers an insight into cricket that few journalists have been able to match since.

Long Slip’s columns covered all the serious aspects of cricket, and the not-so-serious. Otago Witness, August 2 1905 via paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

Long Slip‘s predecessor at the Otago Witness was known simply as Slip. Slip‘s columns appeared in the Otago Witness from 1882 through to 1901 when Long Slip moved over from the Otago Daily Times.

There are few clues to Long Slip‘s identity; they were well-read with access to the latest publications, called New Zealand Cricket Council secretary F.C. “Tim” Raphael a close friend, and appear to have taken a break between 1909 and late 1913, where one article turns up under that name in the Timaru Herald before they become an Otago Daily Times regular again. While it’s possible that many writers could have published under the Long Slip name, the style and tone remains consistent throughout the years.

In 1915 and 1916, Notes By Long Slip, usually a weekly column, became less regular. Only one column appeared in winter 1915 and the three columns that ended Long Slip‘s run in early 1916 were all focused on Christchurch and Wellington cricket – in spite of a long history of focusing on the intimate details of Dunedin cricket and the column running in the Otago Daily Times. While the end of Long Slip‘s column coincides with the break in cricket due to World War One, it brings up some questions. Could the shift to Wellington stories indicate Long Slip joined thousands of other New Zealanders at Trentham or Featherston Military Camps? Does the column’s end have a sadder meaning in the context of the Great War?

So far, we’ve got more questions than answers. Have you got the key to Long Slip‘s identity?

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Long Slip wasn’t alone in using a sporting pseudonym for their articles. In fact, Long Slip‘s sporting colleagues sound like an unlikely band of superheroes, using names like Free Wheel (cycling), Side Stroke (swimming) Deadbeat (racing), White Wings (yachting) and Full Back (rugby). In the 1920s, years after Long Slip had stopped reporting, cricketing pseudonyms returned to the local paper when Not Out began reporting on the sport for the Hutt News and Evening Post.

Enter Sandman: One More Thing

Excerpt from Daniel Reese’s letter to Clarrie Grimmett, 1927

Anyone who has done historical research will appreciate just how hard it is to wrap up your story. Here at the New Zealand Cricket Museum, the story of the spin duo of Don Sandman & Clarrie Grimmett is shaping up as one that could just keep going on.

This letter from Daniel Reese, written to Clarrie Grimmett in 1927, reinforces Sandman’s place in history as the player who denied Grimmett a spot in the 1913-14 New Zealand side. It also exemplifies how apologetic the New Zealand public became once Clarrie made it blatantly obvious that he was an incredible cricketing talent. Alongside this letter in the New Zealand Cricket Museum collection are many others – from cricket fans, cricketers and the general public – congratulating Clarrie on his exceptional Test cricket performances and letting him know that New Zealand is cheering him on, in spite of the baggy green cap he played under.

Read more of Clarrie & Don’s story here: https://nzcricketmuseum.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/enter-sandman/