G.F. CRESSWELL FINE BOWLER

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30955, 11 January 1966, Page 13

G.F. CRESSWELL FINE BOWLER

G. F. Cresswell, a member of the New Zealand cricket team on the tour of England in 1949, was found dead at his home in Blenheim yesterday, the Press Association reported.

Cresswell, who was 50, had been suffering from a severe illness.

Although his career was sadly brief—he played only 14 first-class matches in New Zealand—G. F. Cresswell will be remembered with particular respect and affection, writes R. T. Brittenden. He was a fine cricketer, who would have played much more but for injury; and he was a rich cricketing character. Nearly everything about Cresswell defied convention. He played for Marlborough for many years, bowling with an action which broke all the fundamental rules. He had a short run, after a military moment at attention, and he bowled with a completely open chest. But he had uncanny control of length, direction, in-swing; and with it the occasional ball which cut back from leg. He first won prominence when chosen for trial matches before the 1949 team went to England. His brother, A. E. Cresswell, was expected to go: but Fenwick won a place, and although he played in only 19 of the 32 first-class matdies, he took 62 wickets, and was second to T. B. Burtt in the aggregates and averages. In his one test against England on that tour, he took six for 168. In New Zealand in 1949-50, Cresswell achieved outstanding success in an unofficial test against a strong Australian team, taking eight for 100.

In all, he took 124 wickets, his most successful New Zealand season being 1950-51, when he took 32 wickets at under 16 runs each. Cresswell was sometimes an unsophisticated cricketer, but always a man with a bubbling sense of fun. On the 1949 tour, New Zealand had 35 minutes to score 109 against Hampshire, and the captain, W. A. Hadlee, ordered everyone to pad up. First ready was Cresswell, who to that stage had made 12 runs on the tour.

He always found something to laugh about—even his own batting.