Geoff Rabone
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Osborne Rabone (born 6 November 1921 in Gore
, Southland, New Zealand
and died 19 January 2006 in Auckland
) was a cricketer
who captained
New Zealand
in five Test matches
in 1953-54 and 1954-55.
Geoff Rabone played for Wellington from 1940-41 to 1950-51 and for Auckland from 1951-52 to 1959-60 as a dour right-handed batsman and as a right-arm off-break bowler who bowled the occasional leg-break too. He represented New Zealand in 12 Test matches between 1949 and the 1954-55 seasons and he was the South African Cricketer of the Year in 1954.
After Second World War service as a Lancaster bomber pilot, Rabone had played only six first-class matches before being selected for 1949 New Zealand touring side
to England. In a team of strokemakers headed by Martin Donnelly
and Bert Sutcliffe
, Rabone's normal batting style gave solidity to New Zealand's middle order. He played in all four Tests of the summer, making 148 runs but with a highest score of just 39. His maiden century came on this tour as well: he made an unbeaten 120 against Nottinghamshire
, opening the innings and batting for 340 minutes in a total of 329 for four declared. On the tour as a whole, he made 1,021 runs at an average of 32.93. His bowling proved expensive in English conditions, and he took 50 wickets, but at an average of 35.70. In the Tests, he took only four wickets.
In his next Test series, when the West Indies visited New Zealand in 1951-52, Rabone continued to be used primarily as a defensive batsman, taking 178 minutes to acore 37 as an opener, and then 83 minutes to score just nine in middle order. And the following year, playing just one match when South Africa toured New Zealand, he took 215 minutes to score 29.
In 1953-54, New Zealand made its first Test-playing tour to a country other than England, a five-Test series in South Africa. Rabone was picked as captain, and though the side was unsuccessful in the big matches – the Test series was lost 4-0 – his own reputation for dependability and durability was enhanced. In the first Test, he made 107 out of a total of 230 in more than six hours, and followed that with 68 out of 149 in the second innings. In all, he batted for 585 out of the 675 minutes that his side's two innings lasted. That match was lost by an innings; the second, in which Rabone had little success, was lost by 132 runs.
But the third game, which ended as a draw, saw New Zealand's then-highest Test score, 505, and the first time the team had managed to enforce the follow-on. Rabone not only scored 56, but then took six wickets for 68 runs as South Africa
were bowled out for 326, his best Test bowling. The tour ended in an anticlimax for Rabone, though, as he broke a bone in a foot during a provincial match and could not take part in the last two Tests.
Rabone was restored to the New Zealand captaincy the following year for the 1954-55 MCC tour of New Zealand. The results in the two Tests were poor and there was criticism of his captaincy, but Rabone's own adhesive qualities seemed undiminished. In the first innings of the first match, he was one of only two players – the other was Sutcliffe – to reach double figures, taking three hours to score 18. And in the second, when New Zealand were dismissed for the record Test low of 26, he was again second highest scorer and longest survivor, with 7 in 53 minutes. Both matches, though, were lost by a distance.
That was the end of his Test cricket, though he played for Auckland for a few more seasons. In retirement, he was a New Zealand selector.
Gore, New Zealand
Gore is a town, surrounding borough, and district in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:The Gore District has a land area of 1,251.62 km² and a resident population of...
, Southland, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and died 19 January 2006 in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
) was a cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who captained
New Zealand national cricket captains
This is a complete list of all of New Zealand's national cricket captains at official international level. As such it includes details of all the men who have captained at least one Test match or One Day International, all boys who have captained in at least one Youth Test or Youth ODI, and all...
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...
in five 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...
in 1953-54 and 1954-55.
Geoff Rabone played for Wellington from 1940-41 to 1950-51 and for Auckland from 1951-52 to 1959-60 as a dour right-handed batsman and as a right-arm off-break bowler who bowled the occasional leg-break too. He represented New Zealand in 12 Test matches between 1949 and the 1954-55 seasons and he was the South African Cricketer of the Year in 1954.
After Second World War service as a Lancaster bomber pilot, Rabone had played only six first-class matches before being selected for 1949 New Zealand touring side
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1949
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1949 season. The team was the fourth official touring side from New Zealand, following those in 1927, 1931 and 1937, and was by some distance the most successful to this date...
to England. In a team of strokemakers headed by Martin Donnelly
Martin Donnelly (cricketer)
Martin Paterson Donnelly was a New Zealand Test cricketer and England Rugby Union player.Born in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Donnelly's twin brother Maurice died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. His sporting talent emerged quickly and Donnelly became known for his batting and fielding skills, as...
and Bert Sutcliffe
Bert Sutcliffe
Bert Sutcliffe MBE was a New Zealand Test cricketer. Sutcliffe was a successful left-hand batsman. His batting achievements on tour in England in 1949, which included four fifties and a century in the Tests, earned him the accolade of being one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year...
, Rabone's normal batting style gave solidity to New Zealand's middle order. He played in all four Tests of the summer, making 148 runs but with a highest score of just 39. His maiden century came on this tour as well: he made an unbeaten 120 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, opening the innings and batting for 340 minutes in a total of 329 for four declared. On the tour as a whole, he made 1,021 runs at an average of 32.93. His bowling proved expensive in English conditions, and he took 50 wickets, but at an average of 35.70. In the Tests, he took only four wickets.
In his next Test series, when the West Indies visited New Zealand in 1951-52, Rabone continued to be used primarily as a defensive batsman, taking 178 minutes to acore 37 as an opener, and then 83 minutes to score just nine in middle order. And the following year, playing just one match when South Africa toured New Zealand, he took 215 minutes to score 29.
In 1953-54, New Zealand made its first Test-playing tour to a country other than England, a five-Test series in South Africa. Rabone was picked as captain, and though the side was unsuccessful in the big matches – the Test series was lost 4-0 – his own reputation for dependability and durability was enhanced. In the first Test, he made 107 out of a total of 230 in more than six hours, and followed that with 68 out of 149 in the second innings. In all, he batted for 585 out of the 675 minutes that his side's two innings lasted. That match was lost by an innings; the second, in which Rabone had little success, was lost by 132 runs.
But the third game, which ended as a draw, saw New Zealand's then-highest Test score, 505, and the first time the team had managed to enforce the follow-on. Rabone not only scored 56, but then took six wickets for 68 runs as South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
were bowled out for 326, his best Test bowling. The tour ended in an anticlimax for Rabone, though, as he broke a bone in a foot during a provincial match and could not take part in the last two Tests.
Rabone was restored to the New Zealand captaincy the following year for the 1954-55 MCC tour of New Zealand. The results in the two Tests were poor and there was criticism of his captaincy, but Rabone's own adhesive qualities seemed undiminished. In the first innings of the first match, he was one of only two players – the other was Sutcliffe – to reach double figures, taking three hours to score 18. And in the second, when New Zealand were dismissed for the record Test low of 26, he was again second highest scorer and longest survivor, with 7 in 53 minutes. Both matches, though, were lost by a distance.
That was the end of his Test cricket, though he played for Auckland for a few more seasons. In retirement, he was a New Zealand selector.