William Gardiner (cricketer)

William Gardiner (14 July 1864 – 27 January 1924) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Auckland and Wellington between 1882 and 1896.[1][2]

In the 1892–93 season Gardiner was regarded as the best batsman in Auckland and "one of the best in the colony", as well as a reliable fieldsman.[3] His highest first-class score was 61, the only fifty in the match, when Auckland beat Canterbury in 1891–92.[4] He top-scored for Wellington with 59 in the drawn match against Hawke's Bay in 1895–96, his last first-class match.[5]

Gardiner also played rugby for Auckland in the 1880s until a shoulder injury curtailed his career. He worked as a builder and contractor, his company being noted for building bridges and wharfs. He and his wife Catherine had one son, Norman. Gardiner died in Wellington aged 59 after a severe illness.[6][7]