Roger Blunt Explained

Roger Blunt
Country:New Zealand
Birth Date:3 November 1900
Birth Place:Durham, England
Death Place:Westminster, England
International:true
Internationalspan:1930–1932
Testdebutdate:10 January
Testdebutyear:1930
Testdebutagainst:England
Testcap:2
Lasttestdate:4 March
Lasttestyear:1932
Lasttestagainst:South Africa
Batting:Right-handed
Bowling:Legbreak
Club1:Canterbury
Club2:Otago
Year2:1926/27–1931/32
Columns:2
Column1:Test
Matches1:9
Runs1:330
Bat Avg1:27.50
100S/50S1:0/1
Top Score1:96
Deliveries1:936
Wickets1:12
Bowl Avg1:39.33
Fivefor1:0
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:3/17
Catches/Stumpings1:5/–
Column2:First-class
Matches2:123
Runs2:7,953
Bat Avg2:40.99
100S/50S2:15/40
Top Score2:338
Deliveries2:13,252
Wickets2:213
Bowl Avg2:31.16
Fivefor2:5
Tenfor2:1
Best Bowling2:8/99
Catches/Stumpings2:88/–
Date:11 April
Year:2017
Source:http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/player/36301.html Cricinfo

Roger Charles Blunt (3 November 1900 – 22 June 1966) was a cricketer who played nine Test matches for the New Zealand national cricket team.

Personal life

Blunt was born in England, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was six months old.[1] His father, a graduate of Christ Church, Oxford, was a professor at Canterbury College in Christchurch.[2] Blunt was educated at Christ's College, Christchurch, where he captained the First XI cricket team.[3]

Early career

A batsman and leg-spinner, Blunt began his first-class career at 17 on Christmas Day 1917 for Canterbury against Otago at Christchurch, taking six wickets. He was a prolific batsman in domestic cricket throughout the 1920s. He was the leading run-maker in the 1922–23 season, scoring 583 first-class runs at an average of 53.00, helping Canterbury to win the Plunket Shield.[4] He moved from Christchurch to Dunedin in 1926.[5]

He played several representative matches for New Zealand against Australian and English teams in the days before New Zealand played Test cricket. When New Zealand made its first major overseas tour, to England in 1927, he scored 1540 runs at 44.00 and took 77 wickets at 25.29, and in recognition of these performances he was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1928.

Later career

In New Zealand's first Test, against England in Christchurch in January 1930, Blunt made more runs and took more wickets than any other New Zealander (45 not out and 7; 3 for 17 and 2 for 17) as New Zealand lost by 8 wickets.[6] He played in all of New Zealand's first nine Tests: four against England in 1929–30, three against England in 1931, and two against South Africa in 1931–32. His highest Test score was 96 against England at Lord's in 1931.[7]

Batting for Otago against Canterbury in Christchurch in 1931–32, Blunt made 338 not out at a run a minute[8] out of a total of 589 all out, in a match that Otago nevertheless lost. It was the highest first-class score by a New Zealander until Bert Sutcliffe beat it with 355 in 1949–50. Blunt also held the record as the highest-scoring New Zealand batsman with 7769 runs until Sutcliffe surpassed it in 1953. Blunt's best first-class bowling figures were 8 for 99 for Otago against Auckland in Dunedin in 1930–31.[9]

After the 1931–32 season Blunt played no further cricket in New Zealand, but did appear in three first-class matches in England in 1934 and 1935. He played many minor matches for Sir Julien Cahn's XI in England from 1933 to 1938, and toured North America with Cahn's XI in 1933.[10]

After cricket

After retiring from first-class cricket, Blunt lived in England, where he was a successful businessman. He captained London New Zealand Cricket Club in its inaugural match in 1952 and remained a prominent member of the club. In his memory the Roger Blunt Award is given annually for services to the club.[11]

Blunt also became a radio commentator on cricket broadcasts, joining the BBC team for the 1949 New Zealand tour of England.[12] In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[13] He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours.[14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154705.html CRICKETER OF THE YEAR 1928 Roger Blunt
  2. Christ's College, Canterbury, N.Z.. The Cricketer. February 1923. III. 25. 12 March 2017.
  3. Book: Bill Francis. Tom Lowry: Leader in a Thousand. 2010. Trio Books. 978-0-9582839-8-4. 34.
  4. Web site: First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Roger Blunt . CricketArchive . 30 March 2020.
  5. Roger Blunt's Great Record . Northern Advocate . 17 July 1926 . 11 .
  6. Web site: 1st Test, England tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Jan 10-13 1930 . Cricinfo . 30 March 2020.
  7. Web site: 1st Test, Lord's, June 27 - 30, 1931 . Cricinfo . 1 October 2023.
  8. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/36301.html Roger Blunt
  9. Web site: Otago v Auckland 1930-31 . Cricinfo . 1 October 2023.
  10. Web site: Miscellaneous Matches played by Roger Blunt . CricketArchive . 30 March 2020.
  11. Web site: Roger Blunt Award for Services to the Club . LNZCC . 23 March 2020.
  12. [Christopher Martin-Jenkins]
  13. News: Coronation Medal . Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette . 37 . 3 July 1953 . 17 April 2021 . 1021–1035.
  14. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1967, p. 963.