Hadlee salutes Marlborough cricketer
Members of Marlborough’s Cresswell family were singled out by New Zealand cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee during a function at Blenheim’s Horton Park on Thursday evening.
The cricketing knight was in Marlborough to promote his book, ‘‘The Skipper’s Diary’’, a day-today account of the successful 1949 NZ tour of war-torn England. It was compiled over four years from a diary kept by his father, tour captain Walter Hadlee.
Also on that tour, which lasted eight months, was Marlborough medium pace bowler Fen Cresswell who took 62 wickets in 19 matches. Three members of his extended family attended the book promotion, after which Sir Richard presented them with a signed copy of the glossy production.
Hadlee has labelled the compliation of ‘‘The Skipper’s Diary’’ as the ‘‘finest achievement’’ of his record-breaking career. He said the 514-page book, which includes a two-hour DVD documentary, was packed with engrossing stories about travelling through post-war England, where rationing was still in effect and buildings lay in ruins.
The five-week sea voyage to England on board the Dominion Monarch and 36-day trip home via the Panama Canal was a tale in itself.
Hadlee said the book had been ‘‘very well received’’ as he has taken it around the country.
He said the 1949 side were under ‘‘enormous pressure’’ to do well on tour after previous tours had lost money and teams had not performed to expectation. ‘‘The fact they drew all four [three-day] test matches was an achievement in itself, and the fact they lost only one game on tour ... they played a brand of cricket that endeared themselves to the English population and the sports writers.
‘‘They left England’s shores with a huge reputation and straight after that tour the MCC granted New Zealand four-day tests. Plus the tour made a significant profit. That was the legacy these guys gave our game ... they were the first team to give New Zealand cricket credibility and respect.’’
Hadlee said the team had been paid one pound a day while on tour and recalls his father saying that he would have paid to have gone on tour, ‘‘such was the experience they had’’.
‘‘[The 49ers] played for different reasons, it was about the friendships, the memories, doing something special in our history ... they made tremendous sacrifices to be away for that long, leaving their families, giving up their jobs.
‘‘I have been on a lot of tours myself, developed some good friendships, we’ve had some fine teams, but reading this diary and putting it into book form I can feel and sense that this team had something special that no other New Zealand has had.’’
Hadlee said there were about 6000 copies, which aren’t available in retail shops, with 119 limited edition leather-bound books, symbolising Walter’s highest first class score on tour.
Three charities will be supported with a donation from proceeds from book sales, including the New Zealand Cricket Museum, the Cricket Live Foundation, where underprivileged street children in Sri Lanka and India learn life skills through cricket, and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association Cricketers’ Trust.