Alfred Richardson Holdship (15 October 1867 – 28 January 1923) was a New Zealand

cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

from 1893 to 1899. He was the second

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the New Zealand cricket team.

Education

Born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, Holdship was sent to England for his education, first to

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Huggett ...

, where he played cricket in the First XI, then to Caius College,

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He received a BA degree, then studied law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1892, and returned to New Zealand to practise law in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Cricket career

A stylish batsman with a wide range of shots, a brilliant fieldsman and an occasional bowler, Holdship made his first-class debut in December 1893, captaining

against

. In the return match in January he made 70, the highest score on either side. In February he played in New Zealand's first international match, against the touring

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

team. He continued to captain Wellington. When New South Wales returned in 1895-96 he captained New Zealand to their first victory. He played again for New Zealand, but not as captain, in 1896–97, this time against

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, when he made the side's top score of 69 in another victory. Holdship made the highest score of his career, 79, also the highest score in the match, when he captained Wellington to an innings victory over

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in 1897–98. His last match was against Canterbury in 1898–99, when he once again made Wellington's highest score, 65, but was unable to avert an innings defeat.

Later life

After his cricket career, Holdship practised in

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

for about 10 years before moving to Australia. In 1914 he was admitted to the Bar in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, where he and his brother established the legal firm Messrs Holdship and Holdship. He died in Sydney aged 55, survived by his wife Maude.''Sydney Morning Herald'', 29 January 1923, p. 8.

References

External links

Alfred Holdship at Cricket Archive

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdship, Alfred 1867 births 1923 deaths People educated at Cheltenham College Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Wellington cricketers New Zealand cricketers Pre-1930 New Zealand representative cricketers 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Cricketers from Auckland New Zealand emigrants to Australia North Island cricketers 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Colony of New Zealand people