Personalities in Sport

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 205, 18 November 1927, Page 10

Personalities in Sport

N. C. Snedden Retires From Rep. Cricket

After upwards of twenty years of representative cricket, N. C. Snedden, the well-known Auckland cricketer, intimated at the start of the present season that he had finished with rep. cricket, although he will continue to play for his club. Few players in the Dominion have had such a remarkably fine all-round record in the King of Summer Games as the Ponsonby skipper. His decision to retire from big cricket will be received with regret, as he has been one of the mainstays of Auckland cricket for many years past. Although a veteran as judged by length of playing record. Snedden is still in the middlethirties, and a force to be reckoned with in any company, whether it be with his sound, free; batting, wily bowling or astute leadership. It is an open secret that had he been available, he would have captained the New Zealand team which recently toured with such success in England, but the call of business prevented him from realising this supreme honour, although he had previously captained New Zealand teams in New Zealand. STARTED IN HIS “TEENS" Success in cricket came to N. C. Snedden early. In 1909, when little more than a schoolboy, he played his first rep. gani€i for Auckland. During his lengthy playing career he has achieved practically every honour the game can bestow; has captained his club, province and country; has represented New Zealand abroad; and has been an Auckland and New Zealand selector. Snedden was a member of the New Zealand team which visited Australia in the 1913-14 season, and was one of the successes of the tour. He topped the aggregate batting for the tour, and in the State matches only the brilliant Dan Reese had a better batting average. In Plunket Shield cricket he is one of a select few who have scored their thousand runs, while in all representative matches he has scored more than two thousand runs and taken over a hundred wickets—a fine, all round performance. SOME FINE FIGURES Ho first appeared in December, 1909, against Wellington, and his last appearance, too, in rep. cricket was against the representatives of the capital city. He has made two centuries in big cricket, 139 against Hawke’s Bay and 131 not out against Otago. His highest score against Canterbury is 99 (run out), and he had a fine run against the Southerners of 91,

23, 99, 47 not out, 68 and 31. In 1922, against Wellington, he had the splendid double of 79 and 88. Among other fine scores he has made 77 and 26 against Victoria, 25 and 38 against New South Wales, 58 against an English team in New Zealand, and 61 against Australia. In Australia he made 44 against New South Wales, 51 against Victoria and 88 and 52 against South Australia. With the ball he has taken three New South Wales wickets (Oldfield, Marley and Everett) for nine runs. Other good performances are four for 48 and four for 46 in the Wellington game of 1912, five for 23 against Canterbury in 1921. The following figures, compiled by a well-known Wellington statistician, give some idea of Snedden's record as a player: NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES Batting In N.O. H.S. Runs Av. 27 1 89 623 23.9 Bowling Overs M. Runs Wkts Av. 104 7 460 20 23 AUSTRALIAN TOUR, 1914 Batting In N.O. H.S. Runs Av. 15 0 89 430 28.66 Bowling Overs M. Runs Wkts Av. 52 3 195 12 15.25 PLUNKET SHIELD MATCHES Batting In N.O. H.S. Runs Av. 45 4 139 1505 36.70 Bowling Overs M. Runs Wkts Av. 437 61 1579 61 25.88 ALL AUCKLAND MATCHES In N.O. H.S. Runs Av. 52 3 139 1894 38.65 Overs M. Runs Wkts Av 580 83 2054 86 23^88 SELECTOR AND ADMINISTRATOR Apart from his great record as a player and his ability as a captain, Snedden has kept his end up with credit as an administrator. Elected in 1921 to the Management Committee of the Auckland Cricket Association from the Ponsonby Club, of which he has been a playing member for 20 years he has proved himself one of the soundest men on the committee. He has also been an Auckland selector since 1920. and was selector and captain of the New Zealand team which played Maclaren’s English team in 192 L-23, besides being a selector of the team which visited Australia in 1925 At the present time “N.C." is away IT I 5^ hristchur ch representing Auckland at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Cricket Council. It is but another illustration of his many-sided activities in the game he has served so well.