William Hawksworth (3 March 1911 – 14 July 1966) 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 and doctor.

Life and career

Hawksworth was born at Nelson in 1911 and educated at

Wairarapa High School Wairarapa College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Masterton, New Zealand. The college first opened in 1938, following the merger of Wairarapa High School with the Masterton Technical School. Serving Years 9 to 13, the college ...

and then at Nelson College from 1925 to 1928.McCarron A (2010) ''New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010'', p. 65. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
Available online
at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.) He went on to study medicine at the University of Otago, graduating MB ChB in 1935. He won the university medal for

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

. He played twelve first-class matches as a wicket-keeper 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 1929–30 and 1933–34 seasons. He represented the province whilst studying in Dunedin, and played no first-class cricket after graduating as a doctor in 1935. He scored a total of 162 first-class runs, with a highest score of 27 not out. He scored 21 runs in an innings which formed part of a tenth wicket partnership of 184 runs with Roger Blunt. The partnership, which was made against Canterbury at Lancaster Park in December 1931, set a record for the tenth wicket in New Zealand domestic cricket which, as of January 2024, still stands.William Hawksworth
CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 January 2023. Hawksworth worked as house surgeon at

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

Hospital before moving to London in the late 1930s to continue his studies. He married Roberta Jolliffe of Wellington in London in July 1940. Hawksworth served in the Medical Corps of the Second

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

in World War II. He served in North Africa, Greece, Crete and Italy, commanding a field ambulance. He was awarded the

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for his services. After the war Hawksworth returned to England. He became a consultant obstetrician and

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

to the United Oxford Hospitals. In 1959 he received the degree of

MA Oxon In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university (including years as an un ...

as a Fellow of University College. He served on the Council of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for six years. Among his patients in Oxford was the American actress Patricia Neal, who gave birth in 1965 after being partially paralysed by a series of

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

s. Hawksworth died in Oxford after a short illness in July 1966, aged 55. He was survived by his widow, a son and two daughters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawksworth, William 1911 births 1966 deaths New Zealand cricketers Otago cricketers Cricketers from Nelson, New Zealand People educated at Nelson College University of Otago alumni New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors Fellows of University College, Oxford Military personnel from Nelson, New Zealand New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Army officers