Cecil Burke (27 March 1914 – 4 August 1997) was a New Zealand

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

who played for

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

from 1938 to 1954 and, once, for

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Cricket career

Burke was born in the

suburb of Ellerslie. A lower-order right-handed batsman and a leg-break and googly bowler, variously known as "Cec" or "Ces", Burke made his first-class debut for Auckland in 1937–38 and then played regularly for the team up to the 1953–54 season. He was picked as a specialist bowler for the single Test match played in 1945–46 between New Zealand and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, which was won comprehensively by the Australians, New Zealand failing to total 100 runs in their two innings combined. Burke took two Australian wickets – Bill Brown and

Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004) was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. His ability, irreverent m ...

. Burke was twelfth man for the single Test match of the following season, 1946–47, when MCC toured Australia and New Zealand, and he was selected for the tour to England in 1949. He took 54 wickets in 18 games on the tour at an average of 29.83, including 6 for 23 against Derbyshire, but scored just 171 runs. During the tour he injured his hand and as a consequence did not play in any of the Tests.McConnell, L., and Smith, I., (1993) ''The Shell New Zealand Cricket Encyclopedia'', Auckland: Moa Beckett. p. 30. His best figures in the

Plunket Shield New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. Since the 2009–10 season it has been known by its original name of the Plunket Shield. History The Plunket Shield competition was instigated in Octo ...

were 6 for 47 against

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

in 1953–54.

References

External links

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at CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Cecil 1914 births 1997 deaths New Zealand cricketers New Zealand Test cricketers Auckland cricketers Cricketers from Auckland North Island cricketers