Double Headers

97 full strength of New Zealand should also be called ‘Australia’, since these were not official Test matches; but this is the style that has been adopted by the ACS and CricketArchive, and I shall follow it here. Following these conventions, the double-headers that occurred over the course of these three ‘twin tours’ were these: Season Play dates Fixture Venue Result 1949/50 17-18-20 Feb Griqualand West v Australians Kimberley D 17-18-20 Feb Auckland v Australians Auckland D 1949/50 10-11-13 Mar W Province v Australians Cape Town D 10-11-13 Mar Otago v Australians Dunedin W 1966/67 17-(18)-20-21 Feb South African XI v Australians Pietermaritzburg D 17-18-20 Feb Canterbury v Australians Christchurch L 1969/70 26-27-28 Feb Otago v Australians Dunedin W 27-28 Feb - 2 Mar Natal v Australians Durban D 2-3-4 Mar NZ Under-23 XI v Australians Napier W 1969/70 5-6-7-9-10 Mar South Africa v Australians Port Elizabeth L 6-7-9-10 Mar New Zealand v Australia Auckland D 1969/70 17-18-19 Mar Northern Districts v Australians Hamilton D 19-20-21 Mar Orange Free State v Australians Bloemfontein W 21-23-24 Mar Central Districts v Australians New Plymouth D Just a few highlights: •The match at Christchurch in February 1967 featured John Gleeson’s one and only first-class half-century - a score of 59, made from the exalted position (for him) of number nine in the order. •In the New Zealand Under-23 side’s total of 145 in their first innings at Napier in March 1970, the third-highest score off the bat was a mere 6. •Ian Redpath scored 152 against OFS in March 1970, including a wholly uncharacteristic few minutes when he took 32 runs off a single over (666644) from medium-pacer Neil Rosendorff . As with the MCC on some of their tours (see page 86), there were also a number of occasions when ‘Australia’ were playing in one match at the same time as the ‘Australians’ were playing another in a different continent. These were not true double-headers within our definition, but are worthy of note nonetheless: •South Africa v Australia (Port Elizabeth, 5th Test) and Canterbury v Australia: First home of the geographical double-header