NZHistory, New Zealand history online - cricket

Basin Reserve

Basin Reserve (1863)

Cricket’s sacred ground

Why did surveyor William Mein Smith select this shallow swamp for a dock when Port Nicholson could cater for any ship likely to come here? But draw it in he did, making it the ‘Basin’, or Dock Reserve. The dock and canal running down Kent and Cambridge Terraces lurked on plans until uplift from the 1855 earthquake all but drained the reserve. Now its destiny lay as a recreation reserve. In 1863 prisoners added fill and three years later a citizens’ committee designated it a cricket ground. By 1868 there was a grandstand here and the Volunteers and a team from HMS Falcon had fought out the first match.

We think of this as a cricket ground but over the years it has also hosted hockey, rugby union, league, association football, cycling, rifle practice, band displays, dog racing, baseball, lacrosse, softball, open-air religious services, opera, jamborees, military displays and political and royal visits. Some have been unusual or noteworthy. In 1879 the first public display of electricity in the country took place here. Twenty years later Captain Lorraine, balloonist, ‘aeronaut’ and blow-hard, got blown away, literally. He took off successfully but the wind pushed the balloon south-east, forcing the self-styled ‘King of Parachutists’ to drop into Wellington College instead of the Basin Reserve, where the crowd was waiting for him. In 1913 some of the Buckle Street fencing was damaged during the waterfront strike. But since 1884 cricket has been top dog. Cricketers love statistics: by 1997 it had hosted 329 first-class and international matches, the country’s largest tally. Here, a plaque explains, Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones set a world record test partnership for any wicket against Sri Lanka. Now one of the country’s most significant grounds, the Basin was the first sports ground registered by the Historic Places Trust.

There are several historic structures. The playing ‘oval’ (1863, although it was never that shape) was brought into the modern era in 1979-81 when the big R.A. Vance Stand appeared on the western boundary and the eastern bank was developed. Older buildings include the late 19th-century groundsman’s shed, the 1923 gates (later named the C.S. Dempster and J.R. Reid Gates after prominent cricketers) and the 1924 Museum Stand, which housed the New Zealand Cricket Museum.

One of the most intriguing structures is the memorial to Colonel William Wakefield, leader of the New Zealand Company’s Wellington settlement from 1840. When he died in 1848 friends raised money for a memorial but, like everything to do with the Company, it went awry. They finally ordered this little folly from a British foundry in 1862 but it lay in storage for 20 years before the council put it up inside the Basin Reserve. Here it stayed until 1917 when it was exiled to the side of the three-lane road which surrounds the grounds. Deemed beyond repair more than 40 years ago, it was fixed up and rededicated on a new site inside the grounds in 2006.

Historic it may be, but the Basin continues to evolve. In 2012 the Museum Stand was yellow-stickered after a negative earthquake assessment in the wake of the Canterbury 2010/11 quakes. Its future remains uncertain. Controversial plans for an expensive and intrusive flyover along its northern edge as part of improvements to this notorious traffic bottleneck suggest that more changes are on the way.

Further information

This site is item number 30 on the History of New Zealand in 100 Places list.

On the ground

The grounds contain several plaques in addition to the interpretation on the William Wakefield Memorial.

Websites

Book

Don Neely and Joseph Romanos, The Basin: an illustrated history of the Basin Reserve, Canterbury University Press, Christchurch, 2003

Credit:

Text: Gavin McLean, 2013

Main image: Andy Palmer, 2012

First contemporary other image: PaddyBriggs (Wikimedia). Other contemporary images: Andy Palmer

Historic images:

Alexander Turnbull Library
References: 1/2-048806-F, EP-0654-1/2-G, EP-0649-1/2-G and 1/2-104777-F (photographer: J N Taylor)
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of their images.

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1863

Eden Park - from swamp to sports ground

Originally a swamp, Auckland's Eden Park has been a sports ground since the late 19th century. Today New Zealand's largest sports stadium, it has been the site of some memorable sporting victories - and losses. The chaotic third test of the protest-ridden 1981 Springbok rugby tour was played there, as were New Zealand's victorious finals in the 1987 and 2011 Rugby World Cups.

Transcript

Eden Park, site of the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, is New Zealand’s largest stadium. It has a capacity of 50,000, which will be temporarily increased to 60,000 for the World Cup. It was originally a swamp, surrounded by luxuriant kouka, or cabbage trees. Known as Cabbage Tree Swamp, it dried out in summer but in winter became a lake.

In the late nineteenth century, the land was leased out by the Kingsland Cricket Club. In 1911 the Auckland Cricket Association purchased the ground, now known as Eden Park, and the following year the Auckland Rugby Union leased it in order to use it in the winter. The ground was drained, a grandstand erected, and in 1914 the first rugby game was played there.

The first-ever rugby test match at Eden Park was held in 1921, when the All Blacks played the Springboks. The excitement surrounding this event was enormous and it attracted a crowd of over 30,000 people. Yet despite the huge home crowd the All Blacks lost to the Springboks for the first time ever – nine points to five.

Eden Park was also the venue for the 1950 Empire Games, now called the Commonwealth Games. Yvette Williams, later to become an Olympic gold medallist, won gold in the long jump and silver in the javelin in a games where New Zealand finished third on the medals table.

In 1955, Eden Park was the site of one of New Zealand cricket’s darkest days. In the second innings of a test match against England, New Zealand scored a humiliating total of only 26 runs. Four players were out for a duck, and the top scorer, opener Bert Sutcliffe, was the only player to reach double figures with 11 runs. This total remains the lowest-ever test innings total in the world.

However, a year later, New Zealand had its first-ever test cricket victory at Eden Park, beating the West Indies by 190 runs in the final test of the series.

In 1981, Eden Park was the site of a bloody political conflict. During the final game of the controversial Springbok Rugby Tour, the third and deciding test, thousand of protestors and police clashed in running battles outside the ground. Police cars were overturned and set on fire, and a number of police and protestors were hospitalised in the most violent clashes of the tour.

Meanwhile a small plane, piloted by protestor Marx Jones, buzzed the park, while his fellow passenger dropped flour bombs on the ground, one of which hit All Black Gary Knight. Despite the protests outside and the flour bombs dropping amongst them, the players continued until the final whistle, with an injury-time penalty kick from Alan Hewson giving the All Blacks a series-winning 25-22 victory.

Though the 1981 test was one of the country’s darkest moments, six years later, Eden Park was the site of its proudest when New Zealand won the final of the inaugural Rugby World Cup final – its only World Cup win*.

The 1987 competition saw All Black stars such as Michael Jones and John Kirwan in stunning form, and Grant Fox score 126 points – a tournament record which still stands today. New Zealand won the final against France 29-9, and when All Black captain David Kirk kissed the Webb Ellis Trophy after the game, he channelled the joy of the nation.

*Note that this recording was made before the 2011 Rugby World Cup which was also won by the All Blacks at Eden Park when they beat France 8-7 in the final.

Manatū Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2011. Part of the Roadside Stories series

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John Reid

John Richard Reid was born in Auckland on 3 June 1928. He excelled at sport at school and when he entered the third form at Hutt Valley High School in 1943 he went straight into the First XI and First XV. He was widely tipped to represent New Zealand at rugby and cricket, but his rugby-playing days ended following two bouts of rheumatic fever and a resulting heart murmur.

A punishing right-hand batsman, Reid made his first-class debut for Wellington against Canterbury on New Year's Day 1948. He played 246 first-class matches, amassing 10,535 runs and capturing 466 wickets. After debuting for New Zealand against England in 1949 Reid went on to play another 57 tests for his country, 34 of those as captain. He scored 3428 test runs at an average of just over 33. He scored six test centuries, with a highest score of 142, and took 85 wickets, largely bowling right-arm fast-medium.

In 1951 Reid married Norli Le Fevre. They had met in 1946 when Norli was a nurse at Hutt Hospital, where Reid had been admitted with his second bout of rheumatic fever. They were to have three children; Richard, their only boy, went on to play one-day cricket for New Zealand.

In today's cricketing world, dominated by limited overs cricket, Reid would have been a great attraction. In 1963 he set a world record for the most sixes in an innings - 15 - while smashing 296 for Wellington against Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve. (This record stood until 1995 when Andrew Symonds hit 16 sixes for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan.) During the 1961-62 tour of South Africa Reid took only 68 minutes to hit a century against Orange Free State.

In 1956 Reid led New Zealand to its first victory in a test match, in the fourth and final test against the West Indies. His first innings score of 84 set the New Zealanders on their way. He was also in charge when New Zealand won its first overseas test in South Africa in 1962 but he never achieved a much sought-after victory over the English. He was a member of the team that was humiliated when bowled out for 26 by the English in the second test at Eden Park in 1955. His first innings score of 73 was the highest of the match for any batsman. In 1963, in the third test at Christchurch, New Zealand took a slender first innings lead over the English - Reid top-scored with 74 - but was bowled out in the second innings for a disappointing 159. Reid contributed exactly 100 runs in the lowest all-out test match total to include a century.

Reid enjoyed playing South Africa. On the 1953-54 tour he scored more than 1000 runs and took more than 50 wickets. During the 1961-62 tour he averaged a shade over 60 in the five tests.

Despite New Zealand's poor international record, Reid's ability and reputation was recognised in 1965 when he was appointed captain of the Rest of the World for two matches against an England XI. These matches marked the end of his first-class career. He retired from international cricket holding New Zealand test records for the most runs, wickets and catches.

Reid's contribution to New Zealand cricket was recognised with an OBE in 1962. He won New Zealand's highest batting award, the Redpath Cup, on three occasions and the Windsor Cup, for bowling, once. He was a New Zealand selector between 1958 and 1965 and again between 1975 and 1978. Between 1993 and 2002 Reid was an ICC match referee. In this capacity he pulled no punches regarding the modern game, believing that the traditional values of cricket had been allowed to deteriorate.

In 1981 Reid and Norli moved to South Africa where they were to live until 1992 pursuing new work opportunities. He became a selector and coach of Northern Transvaal shortly after the highly controversial Springbok tour of New Zealand. South Africa was firmly in the spotlight as pressure increased on the apartheid regime. Despite worldwide opposition to apartheid Reid rejected the validity of the sporting boycotts placed on South Africa, firmly believing politics had no place in sport.

John Reid was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

See also image and statistical information on CricInfo

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Sport and identity - cricket activity - social studies Levels 4 and 5

Using the feature Runs on the board - New Zealand cricket and some of the other material available from the Sports category of NZHistory.net.nz, complete the following activities.

1. Class discussion

Sport is taken very seriously in this country (despite fears that we are becoming fatter and less active), and the success of New Zealand's major teams like the All Blacks and Black Caps can have a great effect on the mood of the nation. Consider some discussion questions with your class around the broad theme of sport and its place in New Zealand society.

Why is sport so important? After all, it's just a game – or is it?
Why does success or failure in sport seem to affect how the country feels? Consider the way the press reacted to the recent 3–0 whitewash of the Australian's in the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy or how we feel when the national anthem is played and the flag is raised at medal ceremonies. For some of your students it might pay to get them to think about how they feel when they do well at sport or other activities they are involved in.
What are some of the ways in which we feel proud of ourselves as a country or as people? Consider the mood of the nation during the Lord of the Rings period, for instance.

2. Personal writing

Discuss some of these points with your students, and then ask them to write their own responses to the following statements. Students should aim to write between six and eight sentences for each and explain their responses.

Countries should not compete against each other in sport, either as individuals or as teams.
Sport is an important part of who we are as a country.
When a New Zealand sports team or sportsperson does well in an international competition, it makes me feel proud to be a New Zealander.
What do the sports we are famous for (or good at) say about us as a people?

A variation could be to set these up as topics for a class debate.

The Tangiwai cricket test, Boxing Day 1953

The 1953–54 New Zealand cricket team in South Africa. R.W. (Bob) Blair is the last player on the right in the second row. Bert Sutcliffe is third from right of those seated.

The Tangiwai test, Boxing Day 1953

One of the most memorable and poignant moments in New Zealand cricket history occurred on 26 December 1953, just two days after the Tangiwai rail disaster. At the time, the New Zealand team was touring South Africa. The second test, at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, started on 24 December and recommenced, after a day off for Christmas, on Boxing Day. By the time play resumed, reports of the Tangiwai tragedy – at the time the world’s eighth-deadliest rail disaster – had flashed around the world. The news was especially devastating for one of the New Zealand players, fast bowler Bob Blair, who learned that his fiancée, Nerissa Love, was among the 151 victims.

As New Zealand began its first innings on the morning of the 26th, chasing South Africa’s 271, a distraught Blair remained at the team hotel and was not expected to play. On a lively pitch, Bert Sutcliffe and Lawrie Miller were both forced to retire hurt after being hit by bouncers from the fiery fast bowler Neil Adcock; John Reid was struck five times before being dismissed for three. With the visitors reduced to 81 for 6, Sutcliffe returned to the crease, his forehead swathed in bandages. When the ninth wicket fell at 154, the players began to leave the field. Suddenly the crowd stood in silence as Blair emerged from the tunnel and was greeted by Sutcliffe, who placed a comforting arm around his shoulder. What followed was sensational as the pair smashed 25 runs (including four sixes – three by Sutcliffe and one by Blair) off a single over from South Africa’s Hugh Tayfield. By the time Blair was dismissed, the team’s total had climbed to 187, with Sutcliffe 80 not out.

A superb bowling effort then restricted South Africa to just 148, leaving the New Zealanders chasing 233 for a historic first test win. Although they reached 75 for 3 on the last morning, a win was not to be as the remaining seven wickets fell for 25. Nevertheless, the local press hailed the New Zealanders’ ‘dauntless spirit’ and declared that ‘All the glory was for the vanquished’; ‘Memories of the match will not be of the runs made or of wickets taken, but of the courage displayed.’

Credit:

D.O. Neely, R.P. King and F.K. Payne, Men in white, Moa Publications, Auckland, 1985

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World Cup scavenger hunt - New Zealand cricket activity - social studies Levels 4 and 5

Using the feature Runs on the board - New Zealand cricket and Cricinfo complete the following activities.

How many times has New Zealand made the final of the men's World Cup?
When did the New Zealand women's team win the World Cup?
Name the grounds being used for the 2007 men's World Cup?
When did New Zealand host the men's World Cup?
When did New Zealand win its first cricket test match (men's), and who did they defeat?
What is the highest score made by a New Zealand batsman (male) at a cricket World Cup, and who was the batsman?
Who has won the most men's World Cup titles, and how many has he won?
When did the New Zealand women's team play their first test match?
Why was 28 March a 'black day' in New Zealand cricket?
When did the New Zealand team play its first men's one day cricket international, and who was its opponent?
When and where did the New Zealand men's team achieve their first-ever test victory over England?
What does the word 'excalibur' have to do with New Zealand cricket?
Who was the Australian bowler who bowled underarm at the MCG in 1981?
Who is the captain of the Black Caps at the 2007 World Cup?
What is the nickname of the New Zealand women's cricket team?

Richard Hadlee at the Gabba, 1985

The first test against Australia at Brisbane between 8 and 12 November 1985 will be remembered for the first-innings bowling display by Richard Hadlee. One of the finest fast bowlers in cricketing history, Hadlee mesmerised the Australian batsmen with pace and movement to capture 9 wickets for 52.

This video clip is sourced from the YouTube website. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage does not claim any responsibility for the contents or copyright status of the clip.

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New Zealand cricket team taking the field in 1956

The New Zealand cricket team takes the field at Eden Park, Auckland, during the fourth test against the West Indies in 1956. The New Zealand team went on to win by 190 runs, their first test victory.

From left: S.N. McGregor, J.E.F. Beck, S.C. Guillen, H.B. Cave, M.E. Chapple, A.R. MacGibbon, L.S.M. Miller, J.R. Reid, D.D. Beard, D.D. Taylor and J.C. Alabaster.

Credit:

Alexander Turnbull Library
Image originally appeared in New Zealand Free Lance, 21 March 1956
Reference: PAColl-5936-23
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image.

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Boys playing cricket, about 1896

Boys play cricket on a country road (probably Dobson on the West Coast).

The painting is titled Young New Zealand at play; cricket in a mining town. It appeared in the Weekly Press, 28 October 1899 and was probably painted in 1896.

Credit:

Alexander Turnbull Library
Artist: Philip Robert Presants
Reference: C-079-054
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image.

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Playing Australia - New Zealand cricket

It has often been said that New Zealanders would celebrate beating Australians at just about anything. Rivalry with our nearest neighbour has always been intense. Just as we have often regarded England as a kind of parent figure, the Australians have been more like an older sibling that hasn't always taken us seriously.

It is hardly surprising that New Zealand's early taste of international cricket involved playing various Australian state teams or Australian XIs. The first New Zealand representative team played New South Wales at Lancaster Park starting on 15 February 1894. New Zealand lost by 160 runs, but revenge came two years later when it defeated New South Wales at the same venue by 142 runs.

For the next half century contact with Australia was limited to matches against state sides and the occasional Australian XI. Australians, generally, did not rate New Zealand as good enough to play full tests, so the first official test match was not played until March 1946, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Australian views seemed valid: the New Zealanders were bowled out for 42 and 54, losing by an innings and 103 runs in a day and a half. The next test between the two countries did not occur until late December 1973.

The frequency of matches between the two countries has increased dramatically since then. The growth of the one-day international game (ODI) has culminated in a regular series for the Chappell–Hadlee Cup, named after two famous cricketing families, the Chappells of Australia and Hadlees of New Zealand.

Memorable moments against Australia

Australia has dominated the exchanges with New Zealand at test and one-day levels. After the first test of the 2011 series in Australia things appeared to be following a familiar pattern when the Australians won in Brisbane by 9 wickets. New Zealand fought back in dramatic fashion in the second test in Hobart to win by 7 runs. This was New Zealand's first test win on Australian soil since Perth in November, 1985. Hobart was only New Zealand's eighth victory in 52 tests played between the two nations and only the third time New Zealand has been victorious in Australia. Australia has won 26 of these matches with the rest being drawn. In one day cricket New Zealand has fared little better with New Zealand winning roughly 30 percent of the more than 100 one-day internationals played between the two nations.

Beating Australia in a test for the first time, 1974
After suffering two heavy test defeats in Australia in January, the New Zealanders triumphed by five wickets in a relatively low-scoring match at Lancaster Park in March 1974. This was a strong Australian team. The win was set up by a century in each innings by the enigmatic Glenn Turner and a good all-round bowling effort in which the Hadlee brothers, Richard and Dayle, took 12 wickets between them.

Match scoreboard

The underarm incident, 1981

The underarm incident (video)

Trans-Tasman cricket contests are overshadowed by the unprecedented events of 1 February 1981. New Zealand needed a six from the final ball to tie the match at the MCG. It was an unlikely prospect on one of the world's largest grounds, but Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl underarm to New Zealand's number 10 batsman, Brian McKechnie. This was, at the time, within the rules, if not the spirit, of the game. In one of the great sporting understatements, the television commentator and ex-Australian cricket captain, Bill Lawry, initially described the impending delivery as 'possibly a little bit disappointing'. Vilified by New Zealand (and many Australian) supporters for their actions, the Chappells later stated that they regretted them, with Greg Chappell claiming that the stress of the occasion had got the better of him.

Match scoreboard

Lance Cairns and Excalibur, 1983

New Zealand lost the second final of the ODI World Series by a massive 149 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 13 February 1983, but a cult hero was born when Lance Cairns went down swinging. Wielding a heavy bat called Excalibur, Cairns smashed six huge sixes (one of them using only one hand) off the Australian quick bowlers, thrilling the huge crowd and commentators with his power hitting. Big hitting of this nature has become commonplace in modern ODIs, but these exploits (at one of the biggest grounds in the world) ensured Lance Cairns would become a New Zealand cricketing legend. His son Chris went on to become one of the greatest all-rounders in the New Zealand game.

Match scoreboard

First test victory on Australian soil, 1985

Hadlee at the Gabba

The first test at Brisbane in November 1985 will be remembered for the first-innings bowling display by Richard Hadlee. One of the finest fast bowlers in cricketing history, Hadlee mesmerised the Australian batsmen with pace and movement to capture 9 wickets for 52. The New Zealand total of 553 included centuries by John Reid and Martin Crowe. Despite an Australian fightback in their second innings, New Zealand not only won their first test in Australia but did so by a massive innings and 41 runs.

Match scorecard

A first test series win in Australia, 1985
After New Zealand's victory in Brisbane in the first match of the 1985 series, the Australians bounced back to win the second test at Sydney, setting up the decider at Perth in late November and early December. Eleven wickets for Richard Hadlee and fine half-centuries by Bruce Edgar and Martin Crowe saw the New Zealanders clinch the series 2–1.

Match scoreboard

Winning a test series against Australia for the first time in New Zealand, 1986
New Zealand's dominance over Australia in the mid-1980s continued when they followed up the historic 1985 series in Australia with another triumph at home. Victory in the third test at Eden Park in March 1986 came largely as a result of a tremendous spell of spin bowling by John Bracewell (the current New Zealand coach), who took 6 for 32 in the second innings to dismiss the Australians for a meagre 103. Bracewell picked up 10 wickets for the match.

Match scoreboard

Mark Greatbatch's marathon in Perth, 1989
It is one of the unique features of the longer version of cricket that two teams can spend five days playing without achieving a definite result. To the uninitiated this might seem like one of the game's great weaknesses, but to the purists it is part of what makes cricket special and unique. The one-off test between New Zealand and Australia in Perth in November 1989 is a prime example of how a record stating 'match drawn' can fail to capture the drama of test-match cricket.

Chasing Australia's imposing 521, New Zealand was forced to follow-on early on day four. In extreme heat and up against a strong home bowling line-up, it would take something special to avoid a heavy defeat. That something came in the form of New Zealand's number three batsman, Mark Greatbatch, who took everything the Australians could throw at him for 485 deliveries in a marathon 655-minute stay at the crease. He ended the match on 146 not out, having almost single-handedly steered New Zealand to a meritorious draw when all seemed lost.

Match scorecard

New Zealand whitewash Australia 3–0 in Chappell–Hadlee ODI series, 2007
Australia chose to rest key players like captain Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist to keep them fresh for the upcoming 2007 World Cup, and several other players were out injured. Some people argued this was an understrength Australian team, but others pointed out that Australians often bragged about the depth of talent in their domestic game.

The final match in the series, at Hamilton on 20 February, was one of the most thrilling one-day games ever. New Zealand chased down a massive 346 with one wicket and three balls to spare. This was the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, eclipsing the 337/5 the New Zealanders had posted just two days earlier at Auckland's Eden Park. The series was especially significant in terms of records between the two countries as the New Zealand team had won the first match in Wellington by 10 wickets – the heaviest defeat ever experienced by an Australian ODI team.

The series also showed the growth of big hitting since the days when New Zealander Lance Cairns and his bat Excalibur thrilled the crowds with sixes. A total of 26 sixes were hit in the Hamilton match.

Doug Bracewell's 6-40 spearheads dramatic comeback in Hobart, 2011
Bracewell's match-winning spell of 6-40 in the second innings of this low-scoring affair saw the New Zealanders secure an unlikely victory. Bracewell's return, in only his third test match, was the second-best New Zealand innings figures on Australian soil, after Richard Hadlee's 9-52 in Brisbane in 1985.

The victory was all the more remarkable given New Zealand was bowled out in the first innings of the test for a paltry 150 runs. This would prove to be one of the lowest first-innings scores from which a team has won in test history. In the final innings the Australians needed 241 to win and shortly before lunch on the fourth day were well placed at 159-2. Bracewell and his partner in crime Tim Southee then took the match by the scruff of the neck with a devastating spell that reduced the Australians to 199-9. Some late heroics by Australian opener David Warner and number 11 batsman Nathan Lyon threatened to carry the day, before Bracewell clean bowled Lyon to pull off a nail-biting win.

Match scorecard