Bevan Congdon
Encyclopedia
Bevan Ernest Congdon OBE
(born 11 February 1938) is a former New Zealand
all-rounder
who played 61 Test matches
from 1965 to 1978. He was captain of the New Zealand Test and ODI team from 1972 to 1974. Congdon was the first New Zealand captain to record a victory over Australia
. Congdon was a medium-pace bowler who rarely bowled until mid way through his career.
His finest moments in Tests where in England in 1973 when he scored 176 at Trent Bridge
and 175 at Lord's in successive Tests, and during the determined foray by the Kiwis to the West Indies in 1972, when he took over the captaincy from Graham Dowling
. In the former match, New Zealand chased 479 in the final innings, falling short by only 38 runs. At the time, this was a record for a highest score in the fourth innings to lose a match. The innings at Lord's contributed to New Zealand making 551, their highest score in Tests at the time. Asked afterwards how he prepared for Test cricket in his remote, intemperate South-Island
hometown, he replied that net pitches in Motueka
prepared one for anything.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 11 February 1938) is a former New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who played 61 Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1965 to 1978. He was captain of the New Zealand Test and ODI team from 1972 to 1974. Congdon was the first New Zealand captain to record a victory over Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. Congdon was a medium-pace bowler who rarely bowled until mid way through his career.
His finest moments in Tests where in England in 1973 when he scored 176 at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and 175 at Lord's in successive Tests, and during the determined foray by the Kiwis to the West Indies in 1972, when he took over the captaincy from Graham Dowling
Graham Dowling
Graham Thorne Dowling is a former New Zealand cricketer who played 39 Test matches and captained New Zealand in 19 of them. Playing as a specialist right-handed batsman, usually an opener, he achieved moderate success, averaging 31 with the bat. His finest moment came when he made a nine-hour 239...
. In the former match, New Zealand chased 479 in the final innings, falling short by only 38 runs. At the time, this was a record for a highest score in the fourth innings to lose a match. The innings at Lord's contributed to New Zealand making 551, their highest score in Tests at the time. Asked afterwards how he prepared for Test cricket in his remote, intemperate South-Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
hometown, he replied that net pitches in Motueka
Motueka
The town of Motueka in the South Island of New Zealand lies close to the mouth of the Motueka River, on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is, after Nelson and Richmond, the third largest centre in the Tasman Region, with a population of 7125...
prepared one for anything.