Edward James Kavanagh (3 July 1888 – 16 March 1960) was a New Zealand Rugby Union and

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 striki ...

player who captained the Southland Rugby Football Union and

Southland cricket team The Southland cricket team represents the Southland Region of New Zealand. They compete in the Hawke Cup. Early history Southland first played interprovincial cricket in 1864, and often played against touring teams from Australia, Fiji and England ...

. Kavanagh became one of Southland's finest all-round sporting sons.

Rugby

It was at first five-eighth playing for Athletic Club where Kavanagh won his Southland representative cap. He captained the Southland rugby team in 1914 and the New Zealand Rifle Brigade rugby team in England during World War I.

Cricket

Kavanagh graduated as one of the finest batsmen of his school and played his first representative game for Southland in the inaugural Hawke Cup of 1910–11, which saw Southland forced to play two away games and win. Kavanagh captained Southland several times and in 1921, he was called on to play against Australia. Those of his club and representative teammates claimed that but for a flaw in his concentration when compiling an innings, he would have been one of the best left-hand batsmen in New Zealand. He was also a top class spin bowler and a brilliant cover point fieldsman. Moving to the North Island, Kavanagh went on to play for Waikato, Hawke's Bay and the North Island XI.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kavanagh, Edward J 1888 births 1960 deaths New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand cricketers Southland rugby union players Southland cricketers Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Invercargill