Alan Burgess (cricketer)

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Alan Burgess
Personal information
Full name
Alan Thomas Burgess
Born(1920-05-01)1 May 1920
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died6 January 2021(2021-01-06) (aged 100)
Rangiora, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RelationsThomas Burgess (father)
Gordon Burgess (cousin)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1940/41–1951/52Canterbury
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 14
Runs scored 466
Batting average 22.19
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 61*
Balls bowled 1,139
Wickets 16
Bowling average 30.68
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 6/52
Catches/stumpings 12/–
Source: CricketArchive, 5 January 2020

Alan Thomas Burgess (1 May 1920 – 6 January 2021) was a New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Canterbury from 1940 to 1952. He was a tank driver in World War II. From June 2020 to January 2021, Burgess was the world's oldest living first-class cricketer.[1]

Life and career[edit]

Alan Burgess's father Thomas was a cricket umpire who stood in a Test match in Christchurch in 1933.[2] Alan's cousin was Gordon Burgess, a cricketer and administrator whose son Mark captained the New Zealand Test team in the 1970s.[3]

Burgess attended Phillipstown School in Christchurch before becoming an apprentice upholsterer.[4][3] In his first first-class match in December 1940 Burgess played as a bowler,[5] taking 6 for 52 and 3 for 51 with his left-arm spin against Otago.[6] Later that season he batted as high as number seven, scoring 61 not out against Wellington.[7]

He joined the New Zealand Army when he turned 21 in 1941, and was soon posted overseas.[4] He served in Egypt and Italy as a tank driver in the 20th Armoured Regiment.[8] He fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.[9][2] After the war ended in Europe he toured England with the New Zealand Services team from July to September 1945, playing as a batsman. He made another score of 61 not out in the only first-class match.[10]

In nine matches for Canterbury between 1945–46 and 1951–52, Burgess's top score was 42 against Auckland in 1950–51, when he put on 105 for the first wicket with Ray Emery.[11]

Burgess ran his own upholstery business in Christchurch. He was married twice, and had three children. He lived in Rangiora.[2] He became New Zealand's oldest living first-class cricketer when Tom Pritchard died in August 2017.[12]

Burgess celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2020.[13] On 13 June 2020, following the death of Vasant Raiji, Burgess became the oldest living first-class cricketer.[14][15] He died in Rangiora on 6 January 2021 at the age of 100.[16][17] Following Burgess' death, India's Raghunath Chandorkar became the oldest living first-class cricketer,[18] and Iain Gallaway became New Zealand's oldest living first-class cricketer.[19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kiwi Alan Burgess now world's oldest living first class cricketer". Stuff. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Knowler, Richard (9 December 2015). "Ex-tank driver and rep cricketer Alan Burgess, 95, still batting strongly". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b Francis Payne & Ian Smith, eds, 2021 New Zealand Cricket Almanack, Upstart Press, Takapuna, 2021, p. 30.
  4. ^ a b Dangerfield, Emma (22 April 2017). "Pragmatic view of war from one of the last survivors of Charles Upham's battalion". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. ^ "What's the most runs scored on the first day of a Test?". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Canterbury v Otago 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Wellington v Canterbury 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  8. ^ Knowler, Richard (25 April 2020). "WWII tank driver and talented cricketer Alan Burgess eyes century". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Alan Thomas Burgess". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  10. ^ "H.D.G. Leveson-Gower's XI v New Zealand Services 1945". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Auckland v Canterbury 1950-51". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Tom Pritchard passes away". New Zealand Cricket. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor surprises Alan Burgess on his 100th birthday". Stuff. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Vasant Raiji, the world's oldest first-class cricketer, dies aged 100". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Vasant Raiji, world's oldest first class cricketer, passes away at age of 100". Times Now News. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  16. ^ Alan Burgess at ESPNcricinfo
  17. ^ WW2 veteran and NZ's oldest first-class cricketer dies in Rangiora aged 100
  18. ^ "Alan Burgess, New Zealand first-class cricketer and World War II veteran, dies aged 100". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  19. ^ "New Zealand's oldest first-class cricketer Alan Burgess dies in Rangiora". Stuff. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Oldest Living First-Class Cricketer
13 June 2020 – 6 January 2021 		Succeeded by
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