Events In History
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13 February 1983Lance Cairns hits six sixes at Melbourne Cricket GroundAt 44 for 6 in reply to Australia’s 302, New Zealand was heading for an embarrassing defeat in the second final of the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup when Lance Cairns took guard with his bat, ‘Excalibur’. Read more...
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1 February 1981Trevor Chappell bowls underarmTrans-Tasman sporting relations hit a new low at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl the final delivery of a 50-over cricket international against New Zealand underarm (along the ground). Read more...
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15 February 1978New Zealand beats England in a cricket test for the first timeChasing 137 for victory in the first test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, England was bowled out for 64, with Richard Hadlee taking 6 for 26. Read more...
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8 February 1972Women cricketers triumphNew Zealand’s women cricketers achieved their first test victory at the 17th attempt. They had lost seven and drawn nine of their previous tests, all against either England or Australia. Read more...
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13 March 1956New Zealand's first test cricket victoryNew Zealand was already 3–0 down in the series going into the fourth and final test at Eden Park in Auckland. Their West Indies opponents included household names such as Gary Sobers and Everton Weekes, who had broken batting records for a New Zealand season. Read more...
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28 March 1955NZ cricketers skittled for 26Bert Sutcliffe top-scored with 11 runs as New Zealand was skittled for the lowest total in test cricket history – 26 runs. Read more...
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20 December 1832New Zealand’s first cricket matchChurch Missionary Society (CMS) leader Henry Williams gave the male pupils (Māori and Pākehā) of his mission school at Paihia in the Bay of Islands a rare day off. Read more...
Articles
New Zealand cricket
Relive some of the highs and lows in the history of New Zealand's most popular summer team sport, cricket. Although the game has been played here since the 1830s, international success – especially against traditional rivals England and Australia – was a long time coming.
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Page 2 – Why cricket?
Cricket is New Zealand's major organised summer sport. Like rugby, one of New Zealand's major winter sporting codes, it was developed in England.
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Page 3 – The World Cup
A brief history
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Page 4 – Playing England
New Zealand has played England in 88 tests, almost twice as often as it has met any other team. The team has had many cricketing highs and lows against England.
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Page 5 – Playing Australia
Key moments in New Zealand's cricketing rivalry with Australia
Cricket in New Zealand
The place of sport in New Zealand culture
Case study: cricket in New Zealand
Related link on NZHistory.net.nz
Runs on the board: cricket in New Zealand
Topics include:
- the World Cup
- why cricket?
- playing England
- playing Australia.
Cricket is New Zealand's major organised summer sport and enjoys the fourth-highest playing numbers. Cricket is not, however, a sport of great worldwide significance. Like rugby, its popularity is largely confined to present and former members of the British Commonwealth and, like rugby, the game originated in England. It reflects our colonial past. Sport is an important part of the New Zealand way of life.
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Page 2 – World Cup scavenger hunt - New Zealand cricket activity
Short-answer activities about New Zealand cricket
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Page 3 – Sport and identity - cricket activity
Hold a class discussion or complete some writing about the place of sport in New Zealand society.
Biographies
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Reid, John Richard
After debuting for the New Zealand cricket team against England in 1949 John Reid went on to play another 57 tests for his country, 34 of those as captain.
Read more...
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Main image: Basin Reserve
Now one of the country’s most significant cricket venues, Wellington's Basin Reserve was the first sportsground registered by the former Historic Places Trust.
