William Smith Haig (6 April 1921 – 21 August 1967) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played 31 first-class matches, almost all of them for Otago between the 1949–50 and 1957–58.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | William Smith Haig | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 April 1921 Prestonpans, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 21 August 1967 (aged 46) Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off-spin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations |
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| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1949/50–1957/58 | Otago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 24 April 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Life and career edit
Haig was born in Scotland. His family emigrated to New Zealand in the 1920s. His brothers Laurie and Jimmy represented New Zealand at rugby union, and another brother, Bert, represented Otago.[2]
Haig served as a captain with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan after World War II.[3] He returned to New Zealand in August 1947.[4]
Haig was a right-handed batsman who usually batted at number three, and an occasional off-spinner.[5] After scoring 151 for his club Grange in the opening match of Dunedin cricket in 1949-50 he was selected to play for Otago.[6] In his second first-class match, against Auckland in 1949–50, batting at number six, he scored 67 and added 266 in 222 minutes for the fifth wicket with Bert Sutcliffe, who made 355.[7][8][9] It was a record fifth-wicket partnership in New Zealand first-class cricket.[10]
In 1954-55 Haig scored 102, his only century, in Otago's 10-wicket victory over Auckland, adding 199 for the third wicket with Sutcliffe; he also took 3 for 33 in Auckland's second innings.[11] Against Wellington in 1956-57 he top-scored with 10 in Otago's brief first innings of 34, then in Wellington's first innings he set a New Zealand record by bowling 15 consecutive maiden overs, ending with figures of 20–17–12–4.[12][13]
Haig had his most successful season in 1954–55, scoring 253 runs in the Plunket Shield at an average of 42.16.[14] He played in a Test trial for South Island after the Shield season and before the series against England, but was unsuccessful.[15]
Haig was a businessman in the frozen-food industry. His family and Bert Sutcliffe's were close friends. When Sutcliffe's sports shop in Dunedin failed in the early 1960s, he accepted the offer of a job with Haig's ice-cream company in Hamilton.[16]
References edit
- ^ "William Haig". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
- ^ "Unique Performance of Haig Brothers". Otago Daily Times: 9. 18 July 1950.
- ^ "William Smith Haig". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Draft from Japan Due Home on Thursday Afternoon". Evening Star: 8. 23 August 1947.
- ^ "Bill Haig". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Grange Opens Well in First Game of Season". Otago Daily Times: 6. 31 October 1949.
- ^ McMurran, Alistair (25 November 2009). "Cricket: Pair in sight of record partnership". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Otago v Auckland 1949-50". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Otago's Large Score". Otago Daily Times: 6. 3 January 1950.
- ^ Wisden 1970, p. 207.
- ^ "Auckland v Otago 1954-55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Wisden 2021, p. 269.
- ^ "Otago v Wellington 1956-57". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "First-Class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Bill Haig". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "South Island v North Island 1954-55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Richard Boock, The Last Everyday Hero: The Bert Sutcliffe Story, Longacre, Auckland, 2012, pp. 123, 187, 195.