Tom Burtt
Thomas Browning Burtt (22 January 1915 – 24 May 1988) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in ten Tests from 1947 to 1953.
 The New Zealand Test team, Christchurch, March 1947. Tom Burtt is on the right at the top. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 22 January 1915 Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 May 1988 (aged 73) Christchurch, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 40) | 21 March 1947 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 6 March 1953 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 1 April 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic career
In his last first-class match, for Canterbury against the MCC in 1954–55, he hit 24 off one over from Johnny Wardle.[1]
In first-class cricket, he played 84 games, mostly for Canterbury, between 1943 and 1955, taking 408 wickets at 22.19. His brother Noel also played for Canterbury, as did his nephew Wayne Burtt.
In 1937 and 1938 he also represented New Zealand at hockey.[2]
Trivia
His 128 wickets taken on the 1949 tour of England is a record for New Zealand.[2] In Wisden, Charles Bray said of him, "The bulk of the bowling fell on the tubby, cheerful T.B. Burtt, slow left-arm, immaculate length, good flight, who attacked the off-stump so accurately that he constantly tied down the opposing batsmen."[3]
International career
He played ten consecutive Tests over six years, bowling long spells, taking wickets, and scoring useful runs in the tail, until he was dropped after the First Test against South Africa in 1952–53. According to Richard Boock in his biography of Bert Sutcliffe, Burtt was one of several players at the time who "paid the ultimate price for being overweight".[4] He was overlooked for the next season's tour of South Africa, the inexperienced spinners Eric Dempster, Matt Poore and Bill Bell going instead, and did not play another Test.
References
- R.T. Brittenden, New Zealand Cricketers, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, 1961, p. 38.
- "Player Profile: Tom Burtt". CricInfo. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- Charles Bray, "Story of New Zealand Cricket", Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1958, p. 102.
- Richard Boock, The Last Everyday Hero, Longacre, Auckland, 2010, p. 100.