New Zealand's First Professional Cricketer
 

New Zealand's First Professional Cricketer

It took a long time for New Zealand cricket to embrace the concept of professionalism, but they got there in the end, thanks largely to Glenn Turner, who Martin profiles in this feature.

I don't remember seeing Glenn Turner play - although I must have done at some point in the 1979 World Cup, when he returned briefly to the New Zealand side (and batted at 4 so as not to break up the established opening pair of Wright and Edgar). But for a New Zealander, even one playing most of his cricket in England, to make a hundred first-class 100s was an astonishing achievement, on a par with his countryman Richard Hadlee becoming the first man to 400 Test wickets a few years later. It only emphasises how much his country missed him when he was unavailable - perhaps no other cricketer since SF Barnes has had a clearer idea of his own value.

I automatically assumed the article would be about Martin Donnelly for some reason.

I thought it was going to be about someone like Tom Lowry or Ces Dacre...

Was wondering if someone might latch on to the deliberately slightly disingenuous title. Turner was the first to be recognised as a pro by the New Zealand Board, but not the first to play the First Class game professionally, which is why I slipped in the names of Hitchcock and Pritchard for when I got called on it.

I haven't actually looked for the first ever County pro from NZ but Cec Dacre is certainly an excellent shout - apparently he hit his first ball in Championship cricket for 6, something I don't suppose too many others have done.

As he played union for England (and him being an Oxbridge man to boot) he'd had to have been a "gentleman", wouldn't he?

Typically excellent article from fred; very timely too what with NZ's current star batsman also not in the test XI for reasons other than purely cricketing ones.

Still waiting on it IMO.

.... and I'm still waiting on your recommendations for the position of the next Mrs Fertang - tbh I'm beginning to wonder whether you really are a marriage broker after all

Perhaps he meant 'marriage breaker?'

Martin's getting married to Beaker out of the Muppets?

Would probably be a wiser move than one or two of my past efforts

Yep I'd have thought Dacre. Alot of sheepshaggers went to England play for pay in the 30s. A number ending up playing for Sir Julien Cahn. They weren't considered for NZ as a consequence. Merv Wallace said that if NZ selected some like Dempster, Blunt, James and Merritt and picked others they eventually left behind like Pritchard and Christensen, they would have beaten England in the 37 series.

Finalising the short list aws.

The French feature heavily.