Merv Wallace
Encyclopedia
Walter Mervyn Wallace (19 December 1916 – 21 March 2008) was a New Zealand
cricket
er and Test match
captain. Former New Zealand captain John Reid
called him "The most under-rated cricketer to have worn the silver fern." He was nickname
d "Flip" by his teammates, because that was the strongest expletive
they heard him say.
Wallace was born in Grey Lynn
, Auckland
. He was coached at Eden Park
by Ted Bowley
and Jim Parks
, but left school aged 13. He played cricket with his brother, George Wallace, with the Point Chevalier Cricket Club, and then the Auckland under-20 side. He played for Parnell cricket club from the age of 16, and made his debut for Auckland in the Plunket Shield in December 1933.http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/14/14881.html
He toured to England in 1937, in a team weakened by a policy of refusing to select professional cricketers. He scored two half-centuries (52 and 56) on his Test debut, at Lord's. He headed the tour batting average
s, scoring 1,641 runs at a batting average of 41.02. After his first three Tests in England, the peak years of his cricketing career were lost to the Second World War, and he did not play Test cricket again until March 1946. He scored 211, his highest first-class score, against Canterbury in January 1940.http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17248.html He joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
, but was invalided out due to stomach muscle problems caused by an appendix
operation.
He played in New Zealand's first Test against Australia, in Wellington in March 1946, which Australia won by an innings within two days. He also played against the English tourists in 1947. He joined the four-Test tour to England in 1949 as vice-captain to Walter Hadlee
. He scored 1,722 first-class runs at an average of 49.20, including centuries against Yorkshire, Worcester, Leicester, Cambridge University and Glamorgan. He scored 910 runs before the end of May, narrowly failing to join Donald Bradman
(twice) and Glenn Turner
as the only touring batsman to pass 1,000 runs before the end of May). He made his Test best score of 66 against England at Christchurch in 1951, and played his last two Tests as captain against the touring South Africans in 1953. Short but quick, he was able to score all round the wicket, with a particularly notable cover drive. His Test batting average
of 20.90 was widely considered to fail to reflect his batting abilities.
Following the end of his Test career, Wallace was appointed New Zealand coach for its 1955 tour to India
and Pakistan. Wallace was also the successful coach of New Zealand's first victorious Test team, against the West Indies at Eden Park
in 1956. Afterwards, however, his coaching prowess was overlooked by the New Zealand administrators. He ran a sports shop with tennis player Bill Webb from 1947 to 1982. He suffered from diabetes in later life, becoming blind and losing several toes.
Wallace died in Auckland on Good Friday
in 2008. As a mark of respect, the New Zealand team playing England in the 3rd Test at McLean Park
in Napier
wore black armbands on Saturday 22 March. His brother, George Wallace, and son, Gregory Wallace, both played first-class cricket for Auckland.
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...
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 and Test match
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...
captain. Former New Zealand captain John Reid
John Richard Reid
John Richard Reid was a New Zealand cricketer who captained New Zealand in 34 Tests. He was the country's first cricketing leader to achieve victory, both at home against the West Indies in 1956 and the first away win, against South Africa in 1962...
called him "The most under-rated cricketer to have worn the silver fern." He was nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "Flip" by his teammates, because that was the strongest expletive
Expletive attributive
Expletive comes from the Latin verb explere, meaning "to fill", via expletivus, "filling out". It was introduced into English in the seventeenth century to refer to various kinds of padding—the padding out of a book with peripheral material, the addition of syllables to a line of poetry for...
they heard him say.
Wallace was born in Grey Lynn
Grey Lynn
Grey Lynn is an inner residential suburb of Auckland City, New Zealand, located three kilometres to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914....
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. He was coached 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...
by Ted Bowley
Ted Bowley
Edward Henry "Ted" Bowley, born at Leatherhead, Surrey on 6 June 1890 and died at Winchester on 9 July 1974, was a cricketer who played for Sussex and England....
and Jim Parks
Jim Parks senior
James Horace "Jim" Parks was a cricketer who played for Sussex and England....
, but left school aged 13. He played cricket with his brother, George Wallace, with the Point Chevalier Cricket Club, and then the Auckland under-20 side. He played for Parnell cricket club from the age of 16, and made his debut for Auckland in the Plunket Shield in December 1933.http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/14/14881.html
He toured to England in 1937, in a team weakened by a policy of refusing to select professional cricketers. He scored two half-centuries (52 and 56) on his Test debut, at Lord's. He headed the tour 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 :...
s, scoring 1,641 runs at a batting average of 41.02. After his first three Tests in England, the peak years of his cricketing career were lost to the Second World War, and he did not play Test cricket again until March 1946. He scored 211, his highest first-class score, against Canterbury in January 1940.http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17248.html He joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight for Britain during World War I and World War II. Ultimately, the NZEF of World War I was known as the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
, but was invalided out due to stomach muscle problems caused by an appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
operation.
He played in New Zealand's first Test against Australia, in Wellington in March 1946, which Australia won by an innings within two days. He also played against the English tourists in 1947. He joined the four-Test tour to England in 1949 as vice-captain to Walter Hadlee
Walter Hadlee
Walter Arnold Hadlee, CBE was a New Zealand cricketer and Test match captain. He played domestic first-class cricket for Canterbury and Otago. Three of his five sons, Sir Richard, Dayle and Barry played cricket for New Zealand...
. He scored 1,722 first-class runs at an average of 49.20, including centuries against Yorkshire, Worcester, Leicester, Cambridge University and Glamorgan. He scored 910 runs before the end of May, narrowly failing to join Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
(twice) and Glenn Turner
Glenn Turner
Glenn Maitland Turner played cricket for New Zealand and was one of the country's best and most prolific batsmen. He is the current head of the New Zealand Cricket selection panel....
as the only touring batsman to pass 1,000 runs before the end of May). He made his Test best score of 66 against England at Christchurch in 1951, and played his last two Tests as captain against the touring South Africans in 1953. Short but quick, he was able to score all round the wicket, with a particularly notable cover drive. His Test 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 20.90 was widely considered to fail to reflect his batting abilities.
Following the end of his Test career, Wallace was appointed New Zealand coach for its 1955 tour to India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
and Pakistan. Wallace was also the successful coach of New Zealand's first victorious Test team, against the West Indies 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...
in 1956. Afterwards, however, his coaching prowess was overlooked by the New Zealand administrators. He ran a sports shop with tennis player Bill Webb from 1947 to 1982. He suffered from diabetes in later life, becoming blind and losing several toes.
Wallace died in Auckland on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
in 2008. As a mark of respect, the New Zealand team playing England in the 3rd Test at McLean Park
McLean Park
McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand....
in Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
wore black armbands on Saturday 22 March. His brother, George Wallace, and son, Gregory Wallace, both played first-class cricket for Auckland.