Don Sandman

Donald McKay Sandman (3 November 1889 – 29 January 1973) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Canterbury from 1910 to 1927 and played several times for New Zealand in the days before New Zealand played Test cricket.

Don Sandman
Don Sandman in 1910
Personal information
Full nameDonald McKay Sandman
Born(1889-11-03)3 November 1889
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died29 January 1973(1973-01-29) (aged 83)
Christchurch
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm leg-spin
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1909-10 to 1926-27Canterbury
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 55
Runs scored 1841
Batting average 20.68
100s/50s 0/11
Top score 93
Balls bowled 8761
Wickets 170
Bowling average 26.70
5 wickets in innings 6
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 7/30
Catches/stumpings 29/–
Source: Cricket Archive, 12 December 2014

Early career

A leg-beak and googly bowler, useful lower-order batsman and fine fieldsman at point,[1] Don Sandman took 63 wickets at an average of 9.80 for his Christchurch club, St Albans, in the 1909-10 season.[2] He made his debut for Canterbury in February of that season against the touring Australians, taking three wickets. He was selected to play for New Zealand in the second "test" in March, and took 2 for 32 and 2 for 62.[3]

Sandman was the outstanding bowler in Christchurch cricket in 1910-11, taking 84 wickets at an average of 10.78, when no one else reached 50 wickets.[4] In his first Plunket Shield match, in 1910-11, he took 5 for 55 in the second innings to help Canterbury win the Shield.[5] Auckland regained the Shield in 1911-12, but in 1912-13 Sandman made his highest score, 93, to help Canterbury take the title back.[6]

He toured Australia with the New Zealanders in 1913-14, being preferred as the leg-spinner to Clarrie Grimmett of Wellington, who subsequently moved to Australia to try his luck there. Sandman took 20 wickets in the first two non-first-class matches against Northern New South Wales, and in the four state games he took 14 wickets at 32.64 and scored 182 runs at 30.33.[7] He took four wickets in New Zealand's first "test" against the visiting Australians later that season, but was one of seven players omitted from the team for the second match.[8]

He served overseas as a sergeant in the Canterbury Infantry Battalion in World War I.[9]

After the war

He resumed after the war in good form, taking 17 wickets at 20.64 in 1919-20, and 28 wickets at 23.50 in 1920-21.[10] He took his best figures of 7 for 30 against Otago in 1920-21,[11] and played in both of New Zealand's matches against the touring Australians. They were his last games for New Zealand. He continued to play for Canterbury until 1926-27, captaining the team in 1925-26.

He was also a rugby player, who played half-back in the New Zealand Army team which toured South Africa in 1919 and also played for South Island in 1921. He also "excelled at billiards, hockey, badminton, boxing, lawn tennis, bowls and rifle shooting".[12]

References
  1. Wanganui Chronicle, 23 October 1913, p. 7.
  2. Enter Sandman Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. New Zealand v Australia, Wellington 1909-10
  4. "The Averages". Press: 3. 3 April 1911.
  5. Auckland v Canterbury 1910-11
  6. Auckland v Canterbury 1912-13
  7. Don Neely & Richard Payne, Men in White: The History of New Zealand International Cricket, 1894–1985, Moa, Auckland, 1986, pp. 53-56.
  8. Neely & Payne, pp. 57-58.
  9. Cenotaph Record: Donald McKay Sandman
  10. Donald Sandman bowling by season
  11. Otago v Canterbury 1920-21
  12. Wisden 1974, p. 1078.
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