Leonard Albert Cuff (28 March 1866 – 9 October 1954) was a sportsman and sports administrator from New Zealand. Born in
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 Rive ...
, Cuff was an all-round sportsman who excelled at both athletics and cricket, his most significant sporting association is as the 12th
[ Leonard Cuff]
at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (before 1994, The ''New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association'') is both the National Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Association in New Zealand responsible for selecting athletes to re ...
(of 13)
Founding Members of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
, He was appointed to represent New Zealand and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
from 1894 to 1905.
[ Cuff is credited with instigating the first athletics competitions between ]Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
and New Zealand, and inter-provincial competitions within New Zealand. He managed New Zealand's first tour of an international athletics team. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Biography
Cuff captained the first 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 ...
,Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
and Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a 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.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...
and later for Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
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. He also played rugby for Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a 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.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...
.
In athletics Cuff won the New Zealand long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...
title 3 times (1889, 1896 and 1897). In 1887 he was a founder and first Honorary Secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. Cuff managed the 5-man team (including himself) that went to England and France in 1892. In Paris, France he won a silver medal for hurdles at an International Athletics Meet.[Heidenstrom, P. (1992) ''Athletes of the Century.'' Wellington: GP Publications] He was also an amateur golfer, winning the Tasmanian Amateur championship in 1904.Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
in 1954.
See also
* List of Tasmanian representative cricketers
This is a list of cricket players who have played representative cricket for Tasmania in Australia.
It includes players that have played at least one match, in senior first-class, List A cricket, or Twenty20 matches. Practice matches are not i ...
* List of Auckland representative cricketers
This is a list of all cricketers who have played first-class, list A or Twenty20 cricket for Auckland cricket team. Seasons given are first and last seasons; the player did not necessarily play in all the intervening seasons.
A
* John Ackla ...
References
External links
*
*
"First On Field: Len Cuff"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuff, Leonard
1866 births
1954 deaths
New Zealand cricketers
New Zealand male long jumpers
Auckland cricketers
Canterbury cricketers
Tasmania cricketers
Pre-1930 New Zealand representative cricketers
New Zealand International Olympic Committee members
New Zealand sports executives and administrators
Australian sports executives and administrators
Colony of New Zealand people