Azalea Marguerite Sinclair (née Clark; born 15 August 1930) is a former New Zealand netball player. She played as goal shoot in the New Zealand team in their second Test match, in 1948 against Australia.

Azalea Sinclair
Personal information
Full name Azalea Marguerite Sinclair (née Clark)
Born (1930-08-15) 15 August 1930 (age 93)
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Spouse Ian Sinclair (d. 2019)
Netball career
Playing position(s): GS
Years National team(s) Caps
1948 New Zealand 1

Early life edit

Sinclair was born Azalea Marguerite Clark on 15 August 1930, and grew up in the Kaiapoi area, north of Christchurch.[1][2][3]

Netball career edit

Clark was a member of the Canterbury provincial netball team, playing in the forward third of the court. In 1949, she was described as showing "amazing skill at shooting", and was reported as combining well with her fellow attacking players.[4]

In 1948, Clark was selected in the New Zealand national team for the first Test against the touring Australian team at Forbury Park in Dunedin.[1][5] The match was played under international rules, with seven players per side, which were unfamiliar to the New Zealanders who were used to playing nine-a-side. The Australian team was victorious, winning 27–16.[6] The match was the only occasion on which Clark represented New Zealand, because the New Zealand side for the three-Test series was selected on a regional basis.[1]

Later life edit

In about 1956, Clark married Ian McKay Sinclair, a Canterbury and New Zealand cricket representative. Ian Sinclair died in 2019.[7]

In 2018, Azalea Sinclair appeared at a netball Test match between New Zealand and South Africa in Tauranga, tossing the coin before the start of the game.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Azalea Sinclair". Netball New Zealand. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Dance recital at Kaiapoi". The Press. Vol. 73, no. 22240. 3 November 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Kaiapoi news". North Canterbury Gazette. Vol. 7, no. 32. 27 August 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Canterbury women's strong baseketball side". Otago Daily Times. No. 27157. 11 August 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Test match". Otago Daily Times. No. 26848. 12 August 1948. p. 7. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ^ "ANZAC Day Memories with Oonah Shanahan". Netball New Zealand. 23 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Ian McKay Sinclair". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Foundation Silver Fern returns to court in Tauranga". Netball New Zealand. 19 September 2018. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2021.