Ces Dacre
Encyclopedia
Charles Christian Ralph Dacre, more commonly known as Ces Dacre, was a cricket
player from New Zealand
who also represented the New Zealand in football (soccer). He was born 15 May 1899 in Devonport, Auckland and died there on 2 November 1975. He played in the Auckland and Gloucestershire
teams and was in New Zealand
's first team to go to England in 1927, though no Tests
were played on the tour.
in the War years for the Railway club (a wartime combination of the Marist and City clubs). In 1917 he was involved in a breakaway movement from the club that switched to rugby league
, playing matches against Ponsonby United
and the City Rovers. Railway XIII merged with Grafton Athletic for the 1918 Auckland Rugby League
season, though it is unknown if Dacre was still with the club.
He toured Australia twice and England once with New Zealand cricket team
s in the period before New Zealand played Tests. In 1927
, in a strong batting side, he was a success with 1,070 runs at an average of 31.47 in the first-class matches. Though he returned to New Zealand the following winter, in 1928 he was back in England where he spent two years playing occasional cricket before becoming qualified for County Championship
matches for Gloucestershire.
Winning a regular place as soon as he was qualified in 1930, he made more than 1,000 runs in each of the next six seasons, though his average declined steadily over the period. His best season was 1930, and he hit his highest score, 223, with five sixes and 25 fours, in 255 minutes against Worcestershire
in that season. By 1935, he was averaging no more than 21 runs an innings and when his form declined further in 1936 his contract was terminated by mutual agreement.
side who reached the 1926 Chatham Cup
final, losing 4-2 to Sunnyside.
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...
player from 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...
who also represented the New Zealand in football (soccer). He was born 15 May 1899 in Devonport, Auckland and died there on 2 November 1975. He played in the Auckland and Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
teams and was in New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1927
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1927 season. The team contained many of the players who would later play Test cricket for New Zealand, but the tour did not include any Test matches and the 1927 English cricket season was the last, apart from the Second World War years and the...
's first team to go to England in 1927, though no Tests
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...
were played on the tour.
Rugby career
Dacre played rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in the War years for the Railway club (a wartime combination of the Marist and City clubs). In 1917 he was involved in a breakaway movement from the club that switched to rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, playing matches against Ponsonby United
Ponsonby Ponies
The Ponsonby Ponies are a rugby league club based in Ponsonby, New Zealand. The club was founded in 1908 and competes in the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition.-History:...
and the City Rovers. Railway XIII merged with Grafton Athletic for the 1918 Auckland Rugby League
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
season, though it is unknown if Dacre was still with the club.
Cricket career
Dacre was a hard-hitting, somewhat impetuous, right-handed middle order batsman and an occasional slow left-arm bowler, who also kept wicket a few times in a first-class career that spanned more than 20 years. An outstanding schoolboy cricketer, he made his debut for Auckland when only 15 and appeared regularly for the team until the 1927-28 season, and then again in two matches in 1932-33.He toured Australia twice and England once with New Zealand cricket team
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...
s in the period before New Zealand played Tests. In 1927
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1927
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1927 season. The team contained many of the players who would later play Test cricket for New Zealand, but the tour did not include any Test matches and the 1927 English cricket season was the last, apart from the Second World War years and the...
, in a strong batting side, he was a success with 1,070 runs at an average of 31.47 in the first-class matches. Though he returned to New Zealand the following winter, in 1928 he was back in England where he spent two years playing occasional cricket before becoming qualified for County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches for Gloucestershire.
Winning a regular place as soon as he was qualified in 1930, he made more than 1,000 runs in each of the next six seasons, though his average declined steadily over the period. His best season was 1930, and he hit his highest score, 223, with five sixes and 25 fours, in 255 minutes against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
in that season. By 1935, he was averaging no more than 21 runs an innings and when his form declined further in 1936 his contract was terminated by mutual agreement.
Football biography
Dacre also represented New Zealand in football, appearing in 4 A-Internationals in 1922 and 1923. scoring 2 goals. Dacre was also a member of the North ShoreNorth Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
side who reached the 1926 Chatham Cup
1926 Chatham Cup
The 1926 Chatham Cup was the fourth annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.The competition was run on a regional basis, with five regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds...
final, losing 4-2 to Sunnyside.