Keith Steele
Encyclopedia
Howard Keith Chillingworth Steele (6 April 1951 – 7 June 2009) was a New Zealand cricket
er, notable legal practitioner and author. In cricket, Steele was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
. He was born in Epsom
, Auckland
.
at the University. While there Steele played cricket for the University. His first-class
debut for the University against Kent
. He played first-class cricket for the University from 1970 to 1972, which amounted to 20 first-class matches. He also played a single first-class match for a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities
team against the touring Australians. He scored 662 runs at a batting average
of 24.51 for the University, with three half centuries and a single century
high score of 103*
. His highest score, which was also his highest first-class score, came against Sussex
in 1972. With the ball he took 16 wickets at a bowling average
of 52.56, with best figures of 3/16.
It was in 1972 that Steele made his debut in List A cricket for the University against Warwickshire
in the 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
. He played three further List A matches for the University in that seasons competition. Steele received his Cambridge Blue in cricket, as well as in rugby union
which he played for the University. Having played a single Minor Counties Championship match for Cambridgeshire
in 1971 against Shropshire
, Steele played a single List A match for the county in the 1972 Gillette Cup
against Buckinghamshire
.
Upon returning to New Zealand, Steele played for Auckland, making his debut for the team in a List A fixture against Wellington in December 1974. This was his final List A match. Later in December 1974, he made his first-class debut for Auckland against Central Districts. He played four further first-class matches up to January 1975, with his final fixture coming against Northern Districts. Steele had a more successful time with the ball for Auckland, taking 14 wickets at an average of 26.71, with best figures of 4/71.
. After getting married, he moved to Sydney
, Australia
. It was there that he joined the legal firm Freehills
in 1977. Twenty years later he was made the Sydney Chairman and a senior partner of the firm. Steele helped oversee the firms transformation from a federation to a fully integrated national firm, which was achieved in 2000. From the years 2005 to 2008, he was the national Head of Litigation. He played a key role in establishing Freehills’ pro bono program in Sydney. He also helped orchestrate Freehills becoming a founding member of the Public Interest Law Clearing House. Steele served as a director of that body for nearly 10 years from its inception.
Outside of the legal firm, Steele served on the Administrative Law Committee of the New South Wales Law Society, the Law Council of Australia
and as Chairman of the Customs Law Committee. He had also served on the International Trade and Business Committee of the Law Council and had previously been a member of the sub-committee on trade for the International Bar Association
and a past Vice-Chairman of Committee O (international litigation) of the same organistaion. Besides these actvities, he was also an author on legal matters, writing and contributing to many books. In 1992, he helped setup the Shopfront Youth Legal Centre in Kings Cross, Sydney
.
Steele died suddenly on 7 June 2009, in Berrima
, New South Wales
. He was survived by his wife and three children.
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, notable legal practitioner and author. In cricket, Steele was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
. He was born in Epsom
Epsom, New Zealand
Epsom is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located in the centre of the Auckland isthmus between Mount Eden and One Tree Hill, south of Newmarket, and five km south of the city centre.-Notable features:...
, Auckland
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
.
Cricket
Steele won a scholarship to Cambridge University via the Girdlers Scholarship programme, given then to the brightest students in New Zealand. Steele studied lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at the University. While there Steele played cricket for the University. 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 the University against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
. He played first-class cricket for the University from 1970 to 1972, which amounted to 20 first-class matches. He also played a single first-class match for a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities
Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricket team
Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricket teams played first-class cricket for more than 150 years, although sometimes many years passed between fixtures....
team against the touring Australians. He scored 662 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 24.51 for the University, with three half centuries and a single century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
high score of 103*
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...
. His highest score, which was also his highest first-class score, came against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
in 1972. With the ball he took 16 wickets at a 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...
of 52.56, with best figures of 3/16.
It was in 1972 that Steele made his debut in List A cricket for the University against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in the 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
The 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup was the first competing of cricket’s Benson & Hedges Cup. The competition was won by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.-Midlands Group:-Northern Group: -Southern Group:-Western Group: -Quarter-Finals:...
. He played three further List A matches for the University in that seasons competition. Steele received his Cambridge Blue in cricket, as well as in 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...
which he played for the University. Having played a single Minor Counties Championship match for Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cambridgeshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy.The club is based at The Avenue...
in 1971 against Shropshire
Shropshire County Cricket Club
Shropshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Shropshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
, Steele played a single List A match for the county in the 1972 Gillette Cup
1972 Gillette Cup
The 1972 Gillette Cup was the tenth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 5 July and 2 September 1972...
against Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
.
Upon returning to New Zealand, Steele played for Auckland, making his debut for the team in a List A fixture against Wellington in December 1974. This was his final List A match. Later in December 1974, he made his first-class debut for Auckland against Central Districts. He played four further first-class matches up to January 1975, with his final fixture coming against Northern Districts. Steele had a more successful time with the ball for Auckland, taking 14 wickets at an average of 26.71, with best figures of 4/71.
Legal career
Steele spent four years with Crown Solicitor's in Auckland, a role in which he advised the New Zealand government. It was during this period that he met his future wife, Margaret L’Estrange, an AustralianAustralian people
Australian people, or simply Australians, are the citizens of Australia. Australia is a multi-ethnic nation, and therefore the term "Australian" is not a racial identifier. Aside from the Indigenous Australian population, nearly all Australians or their ancestors immigrated within the past 230 years...
. After getting married, he moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was there that he joined the legal firm Freehills
Freehills
Freehills is a commercial law firm that operates in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia it is considered one of the 'Big Six' law firms.-Offices:Freehills has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane in Australia...
in 1977. Twenty years later he was made the Sydney Chairman and a senior partner of the firm. Steele helped oversee the firms transformation from a federation to a fully integrated national firm, which was achieved in 2000. From the years 2005 to 2008, he was the national Head of Litigation. He played a key role in establishing Freehills’ pro bono program in Sydney. He also helped orchestrate Freehills becoming a founding member of the Public Interest Law Clearing House. Steele served as a director of that body for nearly 10 years from its inception.
Outside of the legal firm, Steele served on the Administrative Law Committee of the New South Wales Law Society, the Law Council of Australia
Law Council of Australia
The Law Council of Australia is an association of law societies and bar associations from the States and territories of Australia, and the peak body representing the legal profession in Australia. The Council was formed in 1933 to unite the various state legal associations, in order to represent...
and as Chairman of the Customs Law Committee. He had also served on the International Trade and Business Committee of the Law Council and had previously been a member of the sub-committee on trade for the International Bar Association
International Bar Association
The International Bar Association is an international association of lawyers and lawyers' associations. The IBA's stated purpose is to promote an exchange of information between legal associations worldwide, support the independence of the judiciary and the right of lawyers to practice their...
and a past Vice-Chairman of Committee O (international litigation) of the same organistaion. Besides these actvities, he was also an author on legal matters, writing and contributing to many books. In 1992, he helped setup the Shopfront Youth Legal Centre in Kings Cross, Sydney
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
.
Steele died suddenly on 7 June 2009, in Berrima
Berrima, New South Wales
Berrima is an historic village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The village, once a major town, is located on the Old Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney. It was previously known officially as the Town of Berrima...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. He was survived by his wife and three children.
External links
- Keith Steele at ESPNcricinfo
- Keith Steele at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...