Charles Ernest Howden (22 October 1881 – 9 October 1963) was a New Zealand

cricket 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 ...

er. He played 13 first-class matches, 11 of them for

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

, between the 1902–03 and 1908–09 seasons.

Life and career

Howden was born at

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in 1881 and educated at

Otago Boys' High School Otago Boys' High School (OBHS) is a secondary school in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's oldest boys' secondary schools. Originally known as Dunedin High School, it was founded on 3 August 1863 and moved to its present site in 18 ...

in the city. The family had recently arrived in New Zealand from Scotland, where Howden's older brother Alister was born on

Rothesay Rothesay ( ; ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Wemyss Bay, which also offers an ...

in 1877.McCarron A (2010) ''New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010'', p. 71. Cardiff:

The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) was founded in England in 1973 for the purpose of researching and collating information about the history and statistics of cricket. Originally called the Association of Cricket Stati ...

. Citizen's death: Mr A. M . Howden, ''

New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand ...

'', volume LXXV, issue 23205, 26 November 1938, p. 17.
Available online
at

Papers Past The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...

. Retrieved 31 May 2023.) Howden's father, Charles Ritchie Howden, was born at

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and had come to New Zealand earlier to work initially in sheep farming. He helped establish the first Dunedin Golf Club in the early 1870s and was its first captain; the club is the oldest in the southern hemisphere. He is a member of the New Zealand Golf Hall of Fame. The family moved back to Scotland for a time, but had returned to Dunedin by 1892. Howden played both golf and cricket from a young age and scored a cricket century whilst at school. He attended the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, matriculating in 1900 and graduating with a medical degree and studying for a time in 1907–1908 in London where he qualified with the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

. Whilst a student Howden began playing club cricket for Carisbrook Cricket Club, with the local cricket correspondent judging his standard to be "excellent" at the start of the 1901–02 season. He served as the club's secretary, captained the A team, and was described as "a favourite" with spectators.Notes by Long Slip, ''

Otago Witness The ''Otago Witness'' was a prominent illustrated weekly newspaper in the early years of the European settlement of New Zealand, produced in Dunedin, the provincial capital of Otago. Published weekly, it existed from 1851 to 1932. The introduct ...

'', issue 2760, 6 February 1907, p. 56.
Available online
at

. Retrieved 31 May 2023.) and as a "popular captain". By 1907 he was considered the "most attractive and stylish bat in Dunedin". After making his representative debut for Otago in December 1902 in a match against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Carisbrook Carisbrook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Carisbrook Stadium) was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, ...

,Charles Howden
CricketArchive. Retrieved 31 May 2023. Howden played in 13 first-class matches, including four for Otago against touring sides and two for

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. He scored a total of 386 first-class runs with a highest score of 62, his only half-century in first-class matches. His final match was in December 1908 against an

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 ...

team featuring his brother, who got him out in both innings. On returning to New Zealand in 1908, Howden worked as the superintendent of Waikato Sanatorium before purchasing a medical practice in

Waiuku Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuary, estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which extends to th ...

in 1911. He played club cricket at Farquharson Cricket Club. A successful club golfer, he played the game regularly and was president of Waiuku golf club. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Howden served in the New Zealand Medical Corps, reaching the rank of captain and working at the New Zealand hospital near

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

in France. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he acted as the senior medical officer at the

Papakura Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. The ar ...

mobilisation camp, rising to the rank of temporary lieutenant-colonel.CE Howden
Online Cenotaph,

Auckland Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...

. Retrieved 31 May 2023. Howden died at

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

in October 1963, aged 81. His son, Peter Howden, also played for Otago.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howden, Ernest 1881 births 1963 deaths New Zealand cricketers Otago cricketers Cricketers from Dunedin New Zealand people of Scottish descent South Island cricketers University of Otago alumni New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand military doctors 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors People educated at Otago Boys' High School