Norman Thomas Woods (19 August 1936 – 15 July 2015) 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. He played 18 first-class matches for

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 ...

between the 1958–59 and 1965–66 seasons. Woods was born at

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in 1936McCarron A (2010) ''New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010'', p. 142. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
Available online
at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.) and grew up in the Kaikora area of the city. He attended Kaikorai Primary School and Dunedin Technical College and as a schoolboy played for Kaikorai Cricket Club where he was coached by Bert Sutcliffe.Hepburn S (2015
South Otago's man for all sport
''

Otago Daily Times The ''Otago Daily Times'' (ODT) is a newspaper published by Allied Press Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand. The ''ODT'' is one of the country's four main daily newspapers, serving the southern South Island with a circulation of around 26,000 and a c ...

'', 11 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2024.Outstanding promise of young cricketer, ''

'', issue 27554, 23 November 1950, p. 10.
Available online
at Papers Past. Retrieved 27 February 2024.) A left-arm "trundler" who could move the ball both ways and "cleverly" varied the pace of his bowling, Woods was considered a schoolboy cricketer of "outstanding promise". Initial working as a draper, he completed his

compulsory military training Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

before being asked to play in the New Zealand colts trial match in December 1955. After taking six wickets for South Island colts in the North Island first innings, he was selected for the Colts side's tour of Australia which took place in early 1956.Norman Woods
CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 February 2024. After a "successful" tour and playing for Otago XIs between late 1955 and 1957, and being considered "one of the most successful bowlers in Dunedin senior cricket" during the 1957–58 season, Woods went on to make his first-class debut in December 1958. Once again he took six wickets in the first innings of his representative debut against

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. ...

, a performance that

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 / ...

paper ''

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

'' labelled "sensational". He played regularly in the Otago First XI for four seasons, making 16 of his 18 first-class appearances between 1958–59 and 1961–62, including playing against touring English sides in both 1958–59 and 1960–61. Bowling off of a short run up, Woods "sort of looped the ball over slowly" and got wickets "with guile, flight and deception".Colbert R (2011
My life with the extremely famous
''

'', 9 August 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2024. His bowling was often described as "slow-medium" paced, although he was sometimes labelled a "

spinner Technology *Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller * Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells * Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in a GUI * Spinner (MIT Med ...

". A final two first-class appearances came in 1965–66. In total Woods took 44 wickets in first-class cricket, with the 6/56 he took on debut his only first-class

five-wicket haul In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman. Takin ...

. He played Hawke Cup cricket for

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributa ...

in 1970–71 and 1973–74. Woods worked for

Arthur Barnett Ltd Arthur Barnett Ltd, trading as Arthur Barnett and often referred to as Arthur Barnett's, was a department store in Dunedin, New Zealand. Established in 1903 by Arthur Barnett the store first began as a drapery for men and boys, progressing over ...

in Dunedin before moving to

Alexandra Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...

in 1966 and becoming a travel agent. He produced sports reports for radio station

4ZB 4ZB was an adult contemporary radio station in Dunedin, New Zealand. History Early Years The station was started by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service in 1937 originally broadcasting on 1040AM. The station was branded from the stations callsign ...

and the ''

''. In later life he and his wife lived on the Otago coast at Kaka Point where they owned a store, camping ground and post office and helped care for the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

poet Hone Tuwhare.Conway G (2009
Tuwhare's spirit lives on for friends
''

'', 17 January 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2024.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Norman 1936 births 2015 deaths New Zealand cricketers Otago cricketers Cricketers from Dunedin