This article describes the history of New Zealand cricket from the 1918–19 season until 1945.
Domestic cricket
Plunket Shield winners
* 1918–19 – Wellington, Canterbury
* 1919–20 – Canterbury, Auckland
* 1920–21 – Auckland, Wellington
After the 1920–21 season the competition changed from a challenge format to a single
round robin
Round-robin may refer to:
Computing
* Round-robin DNS, a technique for dealing with redundant Internet Protocol service hosts
* Round-robin networks, communications networks made up of radio nodes organized in a mesh topology
* Round-robin schedu ...
format.
* 1921–22 – Auckland
* 1922–23 – Canterbury
* 1923–24 – Wellington
* 1924–25 – Otago
* 1925–26 – Wellington
* 1926–27 – Auckland
* 1927–28 – Wellington
* 1928–29 – Auckland
* 1929–30 – Wellington
* 1930–31 – Canterbury
* 1931–32 – Wellington
* 1932–33 – Otago
* 1933–34 – Auckland
* 1934–35 – Canterbury
* 1935–36 – Wellington
* 1936–37 – Auckland
* 1937–38 – Auckland
* 1938–39 – Auckland
* 1939–40 – Auckland
* 1940–45 – no competition due to
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 opposin ...
International tours of New Zealand
Australia 1920–21
''See:
Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1920–21
An Australian cricket team toured New Zealand from February to April 1921 to play nine first-class matches including two against New Zealand. The Australians also played the main provincial teams.
The touring team
The Australian team, with ages ...
''
An
Australian team captained by
Vernon Ransford
Vernon Seymour Ransford (20 March 1885 – 19 March 1958) was an Australian cricketer who played in 20 Test matches between 1907 and 1912.
Ransford was a smooth and stylish left-handed batsman who could score with ease all round the wicket or ...
toured New Zealand in 1920–21 to play first-class matches versus
New Zealand national team
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
(twice) and provincial teams including
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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.
...
and
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
.
Marylebone Cricket Club 1922–23
''See:
Marylebone Cricket Club cricket team in New Zealand in 1922–23
An English team raised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) toured New Zealand from December 1922 to February 1923 and played eight first-class matches including three against the New Zealand national cricket team. MCC also played the main provincial ...
''
An English team raised by
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) played three first-class matches versus the New Zealand national team. MCC also played twice against Auckland and once each versus Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. The MCC team was captained by
Archie MacLaren
Archibald Campbell MacLaren (1 December 1871 – 17 November 1944) was an English cricketer who captained the English cricket team, England cricket team at various times between 1898 and 1909. A right-handed Batting (cricket), batsman, he ...
and included
Tich Freeman
Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman (17 May 1888 – 28 January 1965) was an English first-class cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season, and is the second most p ...
,
Freddie Calthorpe
Frederick Somerset Gough Calthorpe (27 May 1892 – 19 November 1935), styled The Honourable from 1912, was an English first-class cricketer.
Born in London, Calthorpe ("pronounced with the first syllable rhyming with 'tall' and not with 'shall ...
,
Percy Chapman
Arthur Percy Frank Chapman (3 September 1900 – 16 September 1961) was an English cricketer who captained the England cricket team between 1926 and 1931. A left-handed batsman, he played 26 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 17 o ...
and
Clement Gibson
Clement Herbert Gibson (23 August 1900 – 31 December 1976) twice won fleeting fame as a cricketer.
Gibson was born in Argentina, the second son of Sir Herbert Gibson, 1st Baronet, of Linconia and Faccombe.''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knig ...
.
Australia 1927–28
''See:
Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1927–28
The Australia national cricket team toured New Zealand from February to April 1928 and played six first-class matches including two against the New Zealand national cricket team. This was before New Zealand began playing Test cricket.
Team
*Vic ...
''
The Australian team captained by
Vic Richardson
Victor York Richardson (7 September 189430 October 1969) was a leading Australian sportsman of the 1920s and 1930s, captaining the Australia cricket team and the South Australia Australian rules football team, representing Australia in basebal ...
played first-class matches from February to April 1928 against the New Zealand national team (twice) and the main provincial teams Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago.
England 1929–30
''See:
English cricket team in New Zealand in 1929–30
The England national cricket team toured Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand in the 1929–30 season to play a Test series against the New Zealand national cricket team. This was the first Test series ever played by New Zealand. England began the ...
''
The
England cricket team
The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engla ...
toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1929–30 season to play a
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
series against
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 ...
. This was the first Test series ever played in New Zealand. The England team was captained by
Harold Gilligan
Alfred Herbert Harold Gilligan (29 June 1896 – 5 May 1978) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Sussex and England. Gilligan captained England on their four-Test tour of New Zealand in 1929–30, which England won 1–0.
Lif ...
and included
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley (27 May 1887 – 18 October 1978) was an English professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1906 and 1938 and for the England cricket team. A genuine all-rounder, Woolley was a left-handed batsman ...
,
Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (13 June 1905 – 5 December 1959) was a cricketer who played for England. Playing in the era before the Indian cricket team, he is considered one of India's first great batsmen, alongside his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who also ...
and
Stan Nichols.
England won the series 1–0 with three matches drawn:
1st Test@
Lancaster Park
Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 eart ...
,
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
– England won by 8 wickets
2nd Test@
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve (commonly known as "The Basin") is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It has been used for Test matches, and is the main home ground for the Wellington Firebirds first-class team. The Basin Reserve is the only cricke ...
,
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 ...
– match drawn
3rd Test@
Eden Park
Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...
,
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 ...
– match drawn
4th Test@
Eden Park
Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...
,
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 ...
– match drawn
England began the tour in October 1929 in Australia where they played five first-class matches. For the Australian leg of the tour, see:
History of Australian cricket from 1918-19 to 1930
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
.
The New Zealand section of the tour began in December and, in addition to the Test series, England played each of Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago.
South Africa 1931–32
''See:
South African cricket team in New Zealand in 1931–32
The inaugural Test series between the New Zealand and South Africa national cricket teams took place in New Zealand in February and March 1932. South Africa won both matches of the two-match series. New Zealand were captained by Curly Page and Sou ...
''
The inaugural Test series between New Zealand and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
took place in New Zealand in 1931–32. South Africa won the two-match series 2–0 with no matches drawn:
1st Test@
Lancaster Park
Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 eart ...
,
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
– South Africa won by an innings and 12 runs
2nd Test@
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve (commonly known as "The Basin") is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It has been used for Test matches, and is the main home ground for the Wellington Firebirds first-class team. The Basin Reserve is the only cricke ...
,
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 ...
– South Africa won by 8 wickets
England 1932–33
''See:
English cricket team in New Zealand in 1932–33
Douglas Jardine's England national cricket team toured New Zealand in March 1933 as an afterword to their "bodyline" tour of Australia. England and New Zealand played a two-match Test series. New Zealand were captained by Curly Page. Both Tests ...
''
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine ( 1900 – 1958) was an English cricketer who played 22 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 15 of those matches between 1931 and 1934. A right-handed batsman, he is best known for captaining the English ...
's England toured New Zealand after its infamous "bodyline" tour of Australia. England and New Zealand played a two-match Test series which was altogether more peaceful than the one in Australia. Both Tests were drawn:
1st Test@
Lancaster Park
Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 eart ...
,
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
– match drawn
2nd Test@
Eden Park
Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...
,
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 ...
– match drawn
Marylebone Cricket Club 1935–36
''See:
Marylebone Cricket Club cricket team in New Zealand in 1935–36
An English team raised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) toured New Zealand from December 1935 to March 1936 and played eight first-class matches including four against the New Zealand national cricket team. MCC also played the main provincial tea ...
''
An MCC team led by
Errol Holmes
Errol Reginald Thorold Holmes (21 August 1905 – 16 August 1960) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University, Surrey and England between 1924 and 1955.
A dashing right-handed batsman, Holmes believed that cri ...
toured New Zealand from December 1935 to March 1936, playing eight first-class matches including four against New Zealand. They were not Test matches.
England 1936–37
''See:
English cricket team in New Zealand in 1936–37''
The
MCC team that toured
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the 1936–37 season also played three matches in New Zealand at the end of the tour. They played no
Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
in New Zealand, although one of the matches was against a representative New Zealand XI, all of whose team members toured England a few weeks later, playing three Test matches.
Sir Julien Cahn’s XI 1938–39
Sir
Julien Cahn
Sir Julien Cahn, 1st Baronet (21 October 1882 – 26 September 1944) was a British businessman, philanthropist and cricket enthusiast.
Early life and family
Cahn was born in Cardiff in 1882 to parents of German Jewish descent. His father, Alber ...
's cricket team, captained by
George Heane
George Frank Henry Heane (2 January 1904 – 24 October 1969) was an English cricketer. He was a right-arm medium pace bowler and left-hand batsman. He played first-class matches for Nottinghamshire from 1927 to 1951, captaining the club in some ...
, toured New Zealand in February and March 1939 to play ten matches including one
first-class fixture against the
New Zealand national cricket team
The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 ...
at
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve (commonly known as "The Basin") is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It has been used for Test matches, and is the main home ground for the Wellington Firebirds first-class team. The Basin Reserve is the only cricke ...
; this match was drawn. Cahn's XI also played against some of the provincial teams but these matches were 12-a-side and are not regarded as first-class.
Cancelled tours
A planned tour by a team of English amateurs in 1920–21, to be led by the
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
captain
Lionel Troughton
Lionel Holmes Wood Troughton (17 May 1879 – 31 August 1933) was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club either side of the First World War. Primarily a batsman, Troughton was club captain of K ...
, had to be called off as the
New Zealand Cricket Council
New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Council, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket operates the New Z ...
was unable to raise sufficient money. A similar tour by an amateur MCC team in 1921–22, to be led by
Jock Hartley
Colonel John Cabourn Hartley (15 November 1874 – 8 March 1963), known as Jock Hartley, was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.
Cricket career
Hartley was educated at Tonbridge School and Brasenose College, Oxford. He p ...
and to consist mostly of
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
officers, was also cancelled by the NZCC, which explained that the weakness of the selected team would be unlikely to draw sufficient crowds to cover costs.
Attempts to arrange a tour by a
West Indian team in the mid-1920s did not come to fruition. At first it was hoped a tour could be arranged for the 1924–25 season, then the 1926–27 season, but it was not possible.
A request by the New Zealand Cricket Council for a two-Test tour by Australia in early 1931 was turned down by the Australian authorities on the grounds that their players needed a rest after a busy year of two five-Test series. A tour by the best Australian players who had not been selected for the
Ashes tour of 1934 was arranged to take place between February and April 1934, but a disagreement between the respective cricket boards about financial terms, and the withdrawal of several of the selected players, led to the cancellation of the tour just before it was scheduled to begin.
A tour by
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
was arranged for November 1936 to February 1937, including six first-class matches and eight other matches, but no Tests. It was the brainchild of
Arthur Sims
Sir Arthur Sims (27 July 1877 – 27 April 1969) was a New Zealand first-class cricketer, businessman and philanthropist.
Early life
Sims was born in 1877 in Lincolnshire, England, the second son of Samuel and Louisa Sims, who were farmers. In ...
and K. S.
Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (13 June 1905 – 5 December 1959) was a cricketer who played for England. Playing in the era before the Indian cricket team, he is considered one of India's first great batsmen, alongside his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who also ...
and was to be fully underwritten by Duleepsinhji's cousin
the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, who would also captain the side. Difficulties in India led to the cancellation of the tour in September 1936.
A Test tour by Australia, planned for February and March 1940, was cancelled after the outbreak of the Second World War. An itinerary of 14 matches – three Tests, four first-class matches against Plunket Shield teams, and seven other matches – had been arranged, and it was expected that
Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
would lead a strong team.
See also
*
History of cricket in New Zealand
The history of cricket in New Zealand dates back to 1832 as a mention in the diary of Archdeacon Henry Williams.
*History of cricket in New Zealand to 1890
* History of cricket in New Zealand from 1890–91 to 1918
* History of cricket in New Zea ...
References
External sources
CricketArchive – New Zealand season itineraries
Annual reviews
*
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
1919 to 1945 editions
Further reading
*
Bill Frindall
William Howard Frindall, (3 March 1939 – 29 January 2009) was an English cricket scorer and statistician, who was familiar to cricket followers as a member of the Test Match Special commentary team on BBC radio. He was nicknamed the Bearded Wo ...
, ''The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877–1978'', Wisden, 1979
*
Don Neely
Donald Owen Neely (21 December 1935 – 16 June 2022) was a New Zealand cricket historian, administrator and player. He served as president of New Zealand Cricket and wrote or co-wrote over 30 books on New Zealand cricket.
Early life
Neely wa ...
& Richard Payne, ''Men in White: The History of New Zealand International Cricket, 1894–1985'', Moa, Auckland, 1986
{{DEFAULTSORT:History of cricket in New Zealand from 1918-19 to 1945
*
*