Arthur Edward Cresswell (7 August 1917 – 3 August 2002) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

cricket 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 str ...

er who played for

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 metr ...

and was one of the first players who played for

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

in the early 1950s. He was the younger brother of

Fen Cresswell George Fenwick Cresswell (22 March 1915 – 10 January 1966) was a cricketer who played three Tests for New Zealand. Born in Wanganui, he was the older brother of Arthur Cresswell. He was the 50th Test cap for New Zealand. Cricket career Cres ...

. A right-arm fast-medium bowler, Cresswell was first selected for

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

as an 18-year-old in 1935 from the Wairau Club. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he served in the New Zealand Army and was a leading member of the New Zealand Army XI, along with players such as

Bert Sutcliffe Bert Sutcliffe (17 November 1923 – 20 April 2001) was a New Zealand Test cricketer. Sutcliffe was a successful left-hand batsman. His batting achievements on tour in England in 1949, which included four fifties and a century in the Tests, e ...

and

Verdun Scott Verdun John Scott (31 July 1916 – 2 August 1980) was a sportsman who represented New Zealand in both Test cricket and rugby league. As of 2022 he is the only player to have done so.Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby L ...

. After the war Cresswell was unhappy with the opportunities to play regular cricket in Marlborough and decided to play club cricket in Wellington, commuting from Blenheim to Wellington by

Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

aeroplane every weekend. Cresswell played for Wellington between 1948 and 1950 and Central Districts between 1950 and 1952, finishing his career with 13 first-class matches in which he took 38 wickets at 22.55. His best innings figures came in his second first-class match, for Wellington against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a 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. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

at Wellington in 1948–49, when he took 3 for 41 and 5 for 32 in an eight-wicket victory for Wellington; his best match figures came two weeks later in the next match, against Otago in Dunedin, when he took 5 for 57 and 4 for 58. He was one of the ''New Zealand Cricket Almanack'' Players of the Year in 1949.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cresswell, Arthur 1917 births 2002 deaths New Zealand cricketers Central Districts cricketers Wellington cricketers Cricketers from Christchurch New Zealand Army personnel New Zealand military personnel of World War II Burials at Fairhall Cemetery