Bruce Morrison (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Bruce Donald Morrison is a former New Zealand
cricket
er.
(25–27 December 1951).
Aged 20, he made his first class
debut for Wellington
v Otago
at the Basin Reserve
on 7 January 1954. There, he made an immediate impact, taking 4-70 in Otago’s first innings
and then a splendid 7-42 in their second (although Otago won a thriller by 3 runs ). In his next game he repeated his fine form, taking 5-60 v Auckland
at Eden Park
and scoring 33 not out
with the bat. He finished the season with 22 wicket
s at an average of only 16.68.
The following season Morrison bowled consistently, but failed to make the headlines that he had done in his debut season. The highlight was undoubtedly Wellington's tour match against the MCC, when he picked up the prize wickets of England legends Trevor Bailey
, Bill Edrich
and Colin Cowdrey
at the Basin Reserve
. Ultimately, it was a disappointing season: Morrison finished well down the bowling average
s, with just 16 wickets at nearly 30 apiece.
1955-56 was a better season overall, with 7-68 v Central Districts
being the stand out performance, and a final haul of 24 wickets for the season. While the 1956-57 season was good (15 wickets at just 20.93 apiece) it wasn’t until 1960-61 (11 wickets at 17.81), 1961-62 (16 wickets at 18.93) and especially 1962-63 (27 wickets at 20.55, including 5-41 against Otago
at Carisbrook
, Dunedin
) that he recaptured his early-career form.
appearance as the 96th person capped
by New Zealand
in the 2nd test
v the MCC at the Basin Reserve
on 1–4 March 1963. England only batted once, winning by an innings, and Morrison was expensive, with his two wickets (Ted Dexter
and Peter Parfitt
, both in the same over
) coming at a cost of 129 runs
. He was not selected for the 3rd test.
Thereafter, Morrison played two more first class seasons for Wellington, with his final match being for Wellington v the Pakistanis in the tour fixture (4–6 January 1965). He returned to play for Hutt Valley until he retired after the game against Northland in December 1967.
His first class career total was 167 wickets at an average of 24.16.
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...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er.
Career highlights
Morrison, who bowled right arm medium pace but was a left-handed tail-end Batsman first appeared for his local side, Hutt Valley, in an away game at Nelson in the Hawke CupHawke Cup
The Hawke Cup is a cricket competition for New Zealand's District Associations. Apart from 1910/11, 1912/13 and 2000/01 the competition has always been on a challenge basis. In order to win the Hawke Cup the challenger must beat the holder on their home ground...
(25–27 December 1951).
Aged 20, he made his first class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut 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...
v 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....
at 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...
on 7 January 1954. There, he made an immediate impact, taking 4-70 in Otago’s first innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
and then a splendid 7-42 in their second (although Otago won a thriller by 3 runs ). In his next game he repeated his fine form, taking 5-60 v 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...
at Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
and scoring 33 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
with the bat. He finished the season with 22 wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s at an average of only 16.68.
The following season Morrison bowled consistently, but failed to make the headlines that he had done in his debut season. The highlight was undoubtedly Wellington's tour match against the MCC, when he picked up the prize wickets of England legends Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
, Bill Edrich
Bill Edrich
William John "Bill" Edrich DFC was a distinguished cricketer who played for Middlesex, MCC, Norfolk and England.Edrich's three brothers, Brian, Eric and Geoff, and also his cousin, John, all played first-class cricket...
and Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
at 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...
. Ultimately, it was a disappointing season: Morrison finished well down the bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
s, with just 16 wickets at nearly 30 apiece.
1955-56 was a better season overall, with 7-68 v 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...
being the stand out performance, and a final haul of 24 wickets for the season. While the 1956-57 season was good (15 wickets at just 20.93 apiece) it wasn’t until 1960-61 (11 wickets at 17.81), 1961-62 (16 wickets at 18.93) and especially 1962-63 (27 wickets at 20.55, including 5-41 against 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....
at Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
, Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
) that he recaptured his early-career form.
Capped for New Zealand
Morrison’s wicket-taking in 1962-63 led to his being called up to make his one and only testTest 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...
appearance as the 96th person capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
by New Zealand
in the 2nd test
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...
v the MCC at 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...
on 1–4 March 1963. England only batted once, winning by an innings, and Morrison was expensive, with his two wickets (Ted Dexter
Ted Dexter
Edward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
and Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt is an English former cricketer. He attended Fakenham Grammar School, and King Edward VII Grammar School, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk....
, both in the same over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
) coming at a cost of 129 runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
. He was not selected for the 3rd test.
Thereafter, Morrison played two more first class seasons for Wellington, with his final match being for Wellington v the Pakistanis in the tour fixture (4–6 January 1965). He returned to play for Hutt Valley until he retired after the game against Northland in December 1967.
His first class career total was 167 wickets at an average of 24.16.