Hadlee’s tome does the 49ers, and his father, proud
The Skipper’s Diary by Sir Richard Hadlee. The Cricket Publishing Company. $79.95
The look of wonderment on John Reid’s face is quite something. As is the photo itself, from New Zealand’s legendary 1949 cricket tour of England, and reproduced in Sir Richard Hadlee’s new book based on father Walter’s tour diary.
The bat is held by Scottish actress Rona Anderson as she executes an impressive lofted drive, in tiny shorts and knee-high boots, with New Zealand fielders crowded around. Reid, 21 and on his first tour, looks particularly awestruck.
The staged shot at Pinewood Studios, six days after the team arrived in England, is no ordinary cricket photo. But this was no ordinary tour, one which captain Walter Hadlee said ‘‘earned credibility and respect as a cricketplaying nation, and as a country’’. It’s the cricketing equivalent of All Blacks rugby’s 1905-06 Originals or 1924-25 Invincibles.
Reid is the only surviving member of that team which included fellow greats like Bert Sutcliffe, Martin Donnelly and Jack Cowie. Reid couldn’t make Sir Richard’s launch due to ill health but his memories remained vivid, even stretching to his lifelong dislike of chicken and spinach, a regular meal on their eight-month epic.
Yes, eight months, from when they departed Wellington aboard the Dominion Monarch on February 26 till their return, via the Panama Canal and Pitcairn Island, on October 25.
It’s a heavyweight tome in more ways than one, all 473 pages of it, impeccably presented and rivalling Don Neely’s Men In White for size.
For those prone to reading fatigue there’s a DVD documentary included, with player interviews, after Sir Richard purchased all six minutes and 26 seconds of available tour footage. No wonder he labelled the book his greatest achievement, even above his 431 test wickets.
The labour of love needed his renowned eye for detail as he pored over his father’s handwritten words with a magnifying glass for a full year, typing them out.
Walter Hadlee’s diary was meticulously kept and charts the tour in great detail including the long journey and all 36 matches, with enough gems and off-field anecdotes to keep it interesting.
Croquet, dancing, singing, movies and even ballet kept them occupied on the six-week boat trip. As did some of the ship’s other passengers. ‘‘Verdun [Scott] is shooting a good line with Barbara Stout. We think it is reasonably serious!’’ wrote Hadlee snr.
As a private diary the captain’s thoughts were unvarnished and he didn’t hold back on his team-mates at times. John Hayes bowled badly and ‘‘lost his head’’. Tom Burtt received a tune-up for a ‘‘selfish’’ attitude, and ended up taking 128 wickets at 22.88 (as you’d expect, meticulous tour statistics are included).
As with any tour captain, he agonises over selections and form, even his own.
But he was fond of his players and proud of their achievements (four drawn tests, and 13 wins from 32 tour matches, ending with victory over Combined Services in Germany, when they chased down 213 with three minutes to spare). There were plenty of tourist stops and guest appearances in post-war England but no loitering. After the first test in Leeds they catch the overnight train and begin a tour match against Hampshire the next morning.
At tour’s end Hadlee cried when farewelling England-based Donnelly. ‘‘I feel quite a fool,’’ he wrote.
It’s a long read but a good one, befitting such an epic tour that shaped NZ Cricket (and provided a Stg16,800 profit as Hadlee snr, an accountant, proudly notes). Sir Richard has achieved his goal of honouring his father and showing the ultimate respect for the FortyNiners.
Reviewed by Mark Geenty