Eric Tindill: We will never see his like again - Eric Tindill died aged 99.
The only man to play a Test Match for New Zealand in both Rugby and Cricket. Some like Geoff Wilson and Brian McKechnie played for the AB's in a Test but they only played 50 over Cricket.
With the overflow of seasons now it will be nell nigh impossible to duplicate his feat.
He was as you will read below a member of the 1935-36 All Blacks that my Great Uncle Sir Vincent Meredith managed (Coached and Managed in those days). A bad tour where we lost a few games including to England 13-0 but we were just coming to grips with the 3-4-1 scrum after our 2-3-2 was outlawed and we didn't really learn it until half way through the '49 tour of the Republic.
My favourite quote - below a picture of Sir Vincent - "the dictatorial Sir Vincent"
Dictatorial ??? where did they get that from???
Eric Tindill
Born: December 18, 1910, Nelson.
Died: August 1, 2010, Wellington.
Physical: 1.73m, 66kg.
Rugby: 17 matches for New Zealand 1935-38, 1 test [v England, London, 1936]. Refereed 3 tests [NZ v Lions, Dunedin and Christchurch, 1950, NZ v Australia, Dunedin, 1955].
Cricket: 29 matches for NZ 1937-47, 5 tests. Umpired 1 test [NZ v England, Christchurch, 1959]. Selector, NZ and Wellington. Secretary, Wellington Cricket Association.
Soccer: Wellington representative 1927.
Table tennis: Wellington representative. Co-founder/treasurer, Wellington Table Tennis Association 1932.
Boxing: Treasurer, NZ Boxing Council 1973-81.
- He's the only genuine double All Black because he played cricket and rugby tests for New Zealand.
- He matched that feat in officiating, becoming a test rugby referee and international cricket umpire.
- He played 17 games and one test for the All Blacks between 1935 and 1938 before World War II derailed his halfback/first five-eighth's career.
- He played 29 matches as a wicketkeeper-batsman for the New Zealand cricket team, including five tests, between 1936 and 1947.
- In the space of 27 months, from August 1935 until November 1937, he played internationally for New Zealand in rugby and cricket for 15 months, which included six months travelling by ship on the high seas.
