Don Neely
Encyclopedia
Donald Owen "Don" Neely MBE
, MNZM (born 21 December 1935 in Wellington) is a New Zealand cricket historian, administrator and former player. He is a former President of New Zealand Cricket and has written or co-written over 30 books on New Zealand cricket.
from 1947 to 1953, where he played 1st XI cricket. He later played in the senior grade for Wellington's Kilbirnie Cricket Club, which has since amalgamated with MSP (Midland St. Pat's) and become Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club. The Eastern Suburbs clubrooms in Hataitai Park are now home to the Kilbirnie honours boards that record Neely's successes with the club.
(three as captain) and three seasons with Auckland
. He was a right-handed middle-order batsman, and he scored one century
and seven fifties in his 1301 runs. His career average was 28.91. In his first year as Wellington's captain, he led the province to Plunket Shield victory.
Neely's first class career began ten days after his 29th birthday, on December 31, 1964, when he played for Wellington
against Canterbury
in Christchurch. Neely played 21 first class matches for the team (including 18 Plunket Shield matches), 16 as captain.
For the match against Canterbury, opening batsman Bruce Murray was left out of the team that had played Wellington's first game of the season. Peter Truscott moved from number six to opener to make room in the middle order for Neely. On debut, Neely scored 76 and 27. He played two other Plunket Shield matches that season and finished with 139 runs at an average of 27.8.
In his second season (1965/1966), Neely was named as Wellington's captain and led the team through an unbeaten Plunket Shield season. Wellington defeated Otago
, Northern Districts
and Auckland, and took first innings points from draws with Central Districts
and Canterbury. These results easily made Wellington the competition winners. Neely's batting was modest, with his six innings yielding 128 runs at an average of 25.6. More than half of his season's runs came in his first innings of 74 against Central Districts.
Neely remained captain for the next season, 1966/1967, which was less successful for Wellington. The round robin saw drawn matches against Central Districts and Otago, followed by losses to Canterbury and Auckland. Wellington's sole victory was over Northern Districts in the final round of the competition and the team finished fourth on the points table. Neely batted eight times, scoring three fifties in a total of 216 runs at an average of 27.0. These figures were slightly better than his return in the previous season.
Wellington were fourth again in 1967/1968, despite it being Neely's best season with the bat. His season began with his first and only first-class century, 132* in the first innings against Otago. With 43* in the second innings, this was easily Neely's best batting performance in terms of runs scored. As in the 1965/1966 season, though, he failed to follow a strong start to the season. The 175 runs he scored against Otago were more than half his return for the season: in ten innings he scored 317 runs at an average of 39.62. After the win over Otago, Neely didn't score above 44 as Wellington lost to Central Districts, and drew with Canterbury, Auckland and Northern Districts.
His final match for Wellington began on January 29, 1968, and was against Northern Districts
. For the next three seasons, Neely played for Auckland.
Auckland were Plunket Shield champions in 1968/1969. In four innings over four matches, Neely averaged only 14 with a high score of 22.
Neely played all five of Auckland's Plunket Shield games in 1969/1970. With a loss and four draws, Auckland finished fifth. Neely's personal season was successful, however. He batted eight times, scoring 276 runs at an average of 55.2. His three not outs included his best innings (and only 50) of the season, 66* against Central Districts.
Neely's final season as a player was 1970/1971. Auckland's two wins, two draws, and single loss left them third in the Plunket Shield. Neely played in four of those matches, missing the fixture against Central Districts, and scored only 48 runs at an average of 12.0. His last first class match took place over 15–17 January 1971, and was against Canterbury, the province he'd debuted against over six years previously. Neely, now 35 years old, scored 8 and 21.
Following his retirement from playing, Neely continued to serve cricket in many capacities.
In September 2006, he was appointed as the president of New Zealand Cricket
at NZC’s Annual General Meeting in Wellington. He replaced John R. Reid
, who had captained Wellington when Neely first played for that province, and who handed that captaincy to Neely when international duty pulled him away from domestic cricket. Neely served three one-year terms, the maximum allowed by the rules of NZC, and was replaced by Denis Currie in 2009.
Neely is a life member of NZC, has been both a trustee and chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Museum (serving until 2009), former president of Cricket Wellington, and member of the Basin Reserve Trust.
He spent 14 years as a New Zealand selector, including seven years as convenor of selectors.
On 11 January 2008, the Basin Reserve
's new electronic scoreboard was officially opened. It was named the Don Neely Scoreboard, at the insistence of its main benefactor, Sir Ron Brierley.
Neely is a Member of the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.). He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
in the 2011 New Year Honours, for services to cricket.
's television series The Mantis and the Cricket, which relied heavily on old players (and Neely) to tell stories of early New Zealand cricket teams' tours overseas.
and Jeff Crowe
.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, MNZM (born 21 December 1935 in Wellington) is a New Zealand cricket historian, administrator and former player. He is a former President of New Zealand Cricket and has written or co-written over 30 books on New Zealand cricket.
Early life
Neely was born in Wellington in 1935 and attended Rongotai CollegeRongotai College
Rongotai College is an all-boys state secondary school in the south-eastern suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, New Zealand. The students are aged 12 to 19.The decile 6 school has a roll of over 650 students...
from 1947 to 1953, where he played 1st XI cricket. He later played in the senior grade for Wellington's Kilbirnie Cricket Club, which has since amalgamated with MSP (Midland St. Pat's) and become Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club. The Eastern Suburbs clubrooms in Hataitai Park are now home to the Kilbirnie honours boards that record Neely's successes with the club.
Playing career
Neely's first class career lasted from 1964 to 1971 and consisted of 34 matches, played in four seasons with WellingtonWellington Firebirds
The Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in Wellington. It competes in the State Championship first class competition, the State Shield domestic one day competition and the State Twenty20 Cricket Tournament.The...
(three as captain) and three seasons with Auckland
Auckland Aces
The Auckland domestic cricket team represent the Auckland region and are one of six New Zealand domestic first class cricket teams. Governed by the Auckland Cricket Association they are the most successful side having won 26 Plunket Shield titles, eight Domestic One Day Championships and the HRV...
. He was a right-handed middle-order batsman, and he scored one century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
and seven fifties in his 1301 runs. His career average was 28.91. In his first year as Wellington's captain, he led the province to Plunket Shield victory.
Neely's first class career began ten days after his 29th birthday, on December 31, 1964, when he played for Wellington
Wellington Firebirds
The Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in Wellington. It competes in the State Championship first class competition, the State Shield domestic one day competition and the State Twenty20 Cricket Tournament.The...
against Canterbury
Canterbury Wizards
The Canterbury Wizards are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is one of six teams that make up New Zealand Cricket and has been the most successful domestic team in New Zealand history...
in Christchurch. Neely played 21 first class matches for the team (including 18 Plunket Shield matches), 16 as captain.
For the match against Canterbury, opening batsman Bruce Murray was left out of the team that had played Wellington's first game of the season. Peter Truscott moved from number six to opener to make room in the middle order for Neely. On debut, Neely scored 76 and 27. He played two other Plunket Shield matches that season and finished with 139 runs at an average of 27.8.
In his second season (1965/1966), Neely was named as Wellington's captain and led the team through an unbeaten Plunket Shield season. Wellington defeated Otago
Otago Volts
The Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
, Northern Districts
Northern Districts Knights
The Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights are one of six New Zealand first class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
and Auckland, and took first innings points from draws with Central Districts
Central Districts Stags
The Central Districts Stags are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in central New Zealand. It competes in the State Championship first class competition and the State Shield domestic one day competition...
and Canterbury. These results easily made Wellington the competition winners. Neely's batting was modest, with his six innings yielding 128 runs at an average of 25.6. More than half of his season's runs came in his first innings of 74 against Central Districts.
Neely remained captain for the next season, 1966/1967, which was less successful for Wellington. The round robin saw drawn matches against Central Districts and Otago, followed by losses to Canterbury and Auckland. Wellington's sole victory was over Northern Districts in the final round of the competition and the team finished fourth on the points table. Neely batted eight times, scoring three fifties in a total of 216 runs at an average of 27.0. These figures were slightly better than his return in the previous season.
Wellington were fourth again in 1967/1968, despite it being Neely's best season with the bat. His season began with his first and only first-class century, 132* in the first innings against Otago. With 43* in the second innings, this was easily Neely's best batting performance in terms of runs scored. As in the 1965/1966 season, though, he failed to follow a strong start to the season. The 175 runs he scored against Otago were more than half his return for the season: in ten innings he scored 317 runs at an average of 39.62. After the win over Otago, Neely didn't score above 44 as Wellington lost to Central Districts, and drew with Canterbury, Auckland and Northern Districts.
His final match for Wellington began on January 29, 1968, and was against Northern Districts
Northern Districts Knights
The Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights are one of six New Zealand first class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
. For the next three seasons, Neely played for Auckland.
Auckland were Plunket Shield champions in 1968/1969. In four innings over four matches, Neely averaged only 14 with a high score of 22.
Neely played all five of Auckland's Plunket Shield games in 1969/1970. With a loss and four draws, Auckland finished fifth. Neely's personal season was successful, however. He batted eight times, scoring 276 runs at an average of 55.2. His three not outs included his best innings (and only 50) of the season, 66* against Central Districts.
Neely's final season as a player was 1970/1971. Auckland's two wins, two draws, and single loss left them third in the Plunket Shield. Neely played in four of those matches, missing the fixture against Central Districts, and scored only 48 runs at an average of 12.0. His last first class match took place over 15–17 January 1971, and was against Canterbury, the province he'd debuted against over six years previously. Neely, now 35 years old, scored 8 and 21.
Administration career
In September 2006, he was appointed as the president of New Zealand Cricket
New Zealand Cricket
New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand....
at NZC’s Annual General Meeting in Wellington. He replaced John R. Reid
John Richard Reid
John Richard Reid was a New Zealand cricketer who captained New Zealand in 34 Tests. He was the country's first cricketing leader to achieve victory, both at home against the West Indies in 1956 and the first away win, against South Africa in 1962...
, who had captained Wellington when Neely first played for that province, and who handed that captaincy to Neely when international duty pulled him away from domestic cricket. Neely served three one-year terms, the maximum allowed by the rules of NZC, and was replaced by Denis Currie in 2009.
Neely is a life member of NZC, has been both a trustee and chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Museum (serving until 2009), former president of Cricket Wellington, and member of the Basin Reserve Trust.
He spent 14 years as a New Zealand selector, including seven years as convenor of selectors.
On 11 January 2008, the Basin Reserve
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand...
's new electronic scoreboard was officially opened. It was named the Don Neely Scoreboard, at the insistence of its main benefactor, Sir Ron Brierley.
Neely is a Member of the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.). He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
in the 2011 New Year Honours, for services to cricket.
Historian and Author
Neely is New Zealand's leading cricket historian and has written or co-written a number of books and cricket annuals. He was a main interviewee in Jeremy ConeyJeremy Coney
Jeremy Vernon Coney MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs. He was one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen, at least by average, and he made 16 fifties, but centuries often eluded him and he had to...
's television series The Mantis and the Cricket, which relied heavily on old players (and Neely) to tell stories of early New Zealand cricket teams' tours overseas.
Cricket annuals
Written and/or edited by Don Neely:- DB Cricket Annual (1973), 1972/73 season
- DB Cricket Annual (1974), 1973/74 season
- DB Cricket Annual (1975), 1974/75 season
- DB Cricket Annual (1976), 1975/76 season
- DB Cricket Annual (1977), 1976/77 season ISBN 0-908570-10-4
- DB Cricket Annual 7th Edition (1978), 1977/78 season ISBN 0-908570-23-6
- DB Cricket Annual 8th Edition (1979), 1978/79 season ISBN 0-908570-28-7
- DB Cricket Annual 9th Edition (1980), 1979/80 season
- DB Cricket Annual 10th Edition (1981), 1980/81 season ISBN 0-908570-41-4
- DB Cricket Annual 11th Edition (1982), 1981/82 season ISBN 0-908570-48-1
- DB Cricket Annual 12th Edition (1983), 1982/83 season
- DB Cricket Annual 13th Edition (1984), 1983/84 season
- DB Cricket Annual 14th Edition (1985), 1984/85 season ISBN 0-908570-91-0
- New Zealand Cricket Annual 15th Edition (1986), 1985/86 season ISBN 0-908570-08-2
- Radio New Zealand Cricket Annual 16th Edition (1987), 1986/87 season ISBN 0-980570-20-1
- Radio New Zealand Cricket Annual 17th Edition (1988), 1987/88 season
- Radio New Zealand Cricket Annual 18th Edition (1989), 1988/89 season ISBN 1-86947-050-8
- Radio New Zealand Cricket Annual 19th Edition (1990), 1989/90 season ISBN 1-86947-063-X
- Radio New Zealand Cricket Annual 20th Edition (1991), 1990/91 season
Family
Don Neely's wife Paddianne is an archivist and has worked on many of his books. She is from a cricketing family, with her cousin Dave Crowe being the father of prominent New Zealand batsmen and captains Martin CroweMartin Crowe
Martin David Crowe is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, and was credited as one of the "best young batsmen in the world". Crowe represented New Zealand from the early 1980s until his retirement in 1996 as a right-handed batsman...
and Jeff Crowe
Jeff Crowe
Jeffrey John Crowe is a former New Zealand cricketer. He is the son of Dave Crowe and elder brother of Martin Crowe. They are cousins of Oscar winning actor, Russell Crowe....
.