John Thomas Ward (11 March 1937 – 12 January 2021) was a New Zealand

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 ...

er who played as a wicket-keeper in eight

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) ...

between 1964 and 1968. Ward's Test captain John Reid said that he was "easily the best wicketkeeper in New Zealand in his time, but was plagued by injury."

Cricket career

Ward made his first-class debut for

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

against

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

in a trial match for the 1958 tour of England. He took five catches in the first innings, and was selected as

Eric Petrie Eric Charlton Petrie (22 May 1927 – 14 August 2004) was a New Zealand cricketer who played 14 Test matches for New Zealand from 1955 to 1966 as a wicket-keeper. Domestic career Petrie began playing for Waikato in the Hawke Cup in 1945–46. H ...

's deputy on the tour. He made his Plunket Shield debut for

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 1959–60, and was selected to tour South Africa in 1961-62, where he served as deputy to

Artie Dick Arthur Edward Dick (born 10 October 1936) is a former cricketer who played 17 Test matches for New Zealand as a wicket-keeper between 1961 and 1965. Cricket career Dick made his first-class debut for Otago on Christmas Day 1956, playing as a ...

. He finally made his Test debut in 1963–64 in the First Test against the South African touring team, but then lost his place to Dick, who was a superior batsman. He replaced Dick for the Third Test against Pakistan in New Zealand in 1964–65, and went on the tour of India and Pakistan in 1965 as the sole wicket-keeper. He made his highest Test score of 35 not out in the First Test against India, when he and

Richard Collinge Richard Owen Collinge (born 2 April 1946) is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 35 Tests and 15 ODIs. He was New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year in 1971. Domestic career He played domestic cricket for three different sides. ...

put on 61 for the last wicket, but injury forced him out after the Indian leg of the tour, and Dick again replaced him. Later that year, in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Ward returned to the side, replacing Dick for the Third Test. His last Test was the Fourth Test against India in 1967-68. Ward continued to play for Canterbury until the end of the 1970–71 season. He scored his only first-class fifty against

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 ...

in 1969-70 when, batting at number five, he made 54 not out. He represented South Canterbury in the Hawke Cup from 1960 to 1976. His son

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

kept wicket for Canterbury in the 1986–87 season. Ward died in Timaru on 12 January 2021 after a short illness, aged 83.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, John 1937 births 2021 deaths New Zealand Test cricketers New Zealand cricketers Canterbury cricketers Cricketers from Timaru South Island cricketers Wicket-keepers