Edward J Kavanagh
Encyclopedia
Edward James Kavanagh was a New Zealand
Rugby Union
and Cricket player who captained the Southland Rugby Football Union and Southland Cricket team. Kavanagh became one of Southland's finest all-round sporting sons.
of 1911, which saw Southland forced to play two games on foreign soil and win. Kavanagh captained Southland several times and in 1921, he was called on to play against Australia. Those of his club and representative team mates claimed that but for a flaw in his concentration when compiling an innings, he would have been one of the best left-hand batsmen in New Zealand. He was also a top class spin bowler and a brilliant cover point fieldsman. Moving up North, Kavanagh went on to play for Waikato, Hawkes Bay and the North Island XI.
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...
Rugby Union
Rugby 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...
and Cricket player who captained the Southland Rugby Football Union and Southland Cricket team. Kavanagh became one of Southland's finest all-round sporting sons.
Rugby
It was at first five-eighth playing for Athletic Club where Kavanagh won his Southland representative cap. He captained the Southland rugby team in 1914 and the New Zealand Rifle Brigade rugby team in England during World War I.Cricket
Kavanagh graduated as one of the finest batsmen of his school and played his first representative game for Southland in the now-famous 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...
of 1911, which saw Southland forced to play two games on foreign soil and win. Kavanagh captained Southland several times and in 1921, he was called on to play against Australia. Those of his club and representative team mates claimed that but for a flaw in his concentration when compiling an innings, he would have been one of the best left-hand batsmen in New Zealand. He was also a top class spin bowler and a brilliant cover point fieldsman. Moving up North, Kavanagh went on to play for Waikato, Hawkes Bay and the North Island XI.