Test Cricket Tours - West Indies to New Zealand 1955-56

Tour of New Zealand 1955-56 Captain: Denis Atkinson

Eighth West Indies Test tour

Second Test-playing tour of New Zealand by West Indies

(December 1955 - April 1956)

John Goddard, resuming his good relations with the Board, was appointed player-manager. He had to lead the side in their first match because Atkinson had sprained his ankle and Pairaudeau was suffering from a cold. Discord when England visited the Caribbean in January 1954 bottle throwing at Bourda and Nunes accusing the English of rudeness to West Indian officials and politicians

Alfie Roberts, the first cricketer from the small islands (St Vincent) to play for West Indies, had played no first-class cricket before the tour and was still at school. However, he was not West Indies' youngest tourist, being three months older at the time of selection than Jeffrey Stollmeyer had been in 1939 and two months older than Derek Sealy in 1930-31.

On their outward journey the tourists played against Fiji at Suva. Fiji scored a total of only 91 but West Indies in reply could make just 63 and lost by 28 runs.

West Indies won the first three Tests against New Zealand comfortably. In each match Everton Weekes scored a century. Later on amidst scenes of great excitement New Zealand won the fourth Test match at Auckland, their first victory in Test cricket.

Other West Indies tours

Previous tour

New Zealand 1951-52

Next tour

To England 1957

Next tour of New Zealand

1968-69

Members of the Test tour party (15)

Opening batsmen Hammond Furlonge, Bruce Pairaudeau

Middle-order batsmen:John Goddard, Alfie Roberts, Collie Smith, Everton Weekes

Wicket-keepers: Alfie Binns, Clairmont Depeiza

All-rounders: Denis Atkinson, Gary Sobers

Spin bowlers:Sonny Ramadhin, Alfred Valentine

Fast bowlers: Frank King, Tom Dewdney, Wilfred Edun.

D S Atkinson	B	29	RHB RM/OB captain
A P Binns	Ja	26	WK
C C Depeiza	B	28	WK
D T Dewdney	Ja	22	RFM
W Edun	BG	25	RM
H A Furlonge	T	21	RHB
J D C Goddard	B	36	RHB player-manager
F M King	B	29	RF
B H Pairaudeau	BG	24	RHB vice-captain
S Ramadhin	T	26	OB
A T Roberts	CI	18	RHB
O G Smith	Ja	22	RHB OB
G S Sobers	B	19	LHB SLA
A L Valentine	Ja	25	SLA
E D Weekes	B	30	RHB

Regional representation

B – Barbados (6)

BG - British Guiana (2)

CI - Combined Islands (1)

Ja – Jamaica (4)

T – Trinidad (2)

Average age of team at time of first Test match

(3 February 1956) :

25 yrs 10 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Weekes 34, Ramadhin 24, Valentine 22, Goddard 19, Atkinson 15, King 12, Pairaudeau 7, Sobers 5, Smith 4, Depeiza 3, Binns 2, Dewdney 2, Furlonge 1, Roberts 0, Edun 0.

Tour Officials

John Goddard	Player-Manager
W Watts	Baggage / scorer
?	Physiotherapist

Selectors

C Marley, E J Marsden, John Goddard (Barbados) and Ken Wishart.

Selection

The appointments of Denis Atkinson as captain, Bruce Pairaudeau as vice-captain and John Goddard as manager were made by 22 July 1954.

Unavailable: Roy Marshall, Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrell, Jeffrey Stollmeyer.

Tour Party Announced : 13 November 1955.

Not selected :

Rumours that Bruce Pairaudeau was unable to go after all, and that his place would be taken by Allan Rae, were denied and proved unfounded.

Time between selection and departure from West Indies

39 days

(13 November - 22 December)

Travel

Port of Spain T Wellington

‘Southern Cross’

The players assembled in Trinidad. Ramadhin and Valentine arrived from England on the 'Southern Cross' by which boat the team left Port of Spain at midnight on 22 December 1955.

The team played (and lost) a match on Fiji and reached Wellington on 16 January, thence travelling to Auckland for their first match.

Time spent in New Zealand

68 days

(16 January - 24 March)

On-tour selection panel

Denis Atkinson, John Goddard, Bruce Pairaudeau, Everton Weekes.

Reinforcements

None.

Fixtures/Results

† Suva, Fiji	Fiji	Lost 28 r
Auckland	Auckland	Won 8 w
Hamilton	Waikato	Won inns 51 r
Christchurch	Canterbury	Drawn
Invercargyll	Southland	Won 5 w
DUNEDIN	NEW ZEALAND First Test	WON inns 71 r
Oamaru	North Otago	Won 174 r
Wellington	Wellington	Won inns 87 r
Nelson	Nelson	Drawn
CHRISTCHURCH	NEW ZEALAND Second Test	WON inns 64 r
Wanganui	Central Districts	Won 147 r
Napier	Hawkes Bay	Drawn
WELLINGTON	NEW ZEALAND Third Test	WON 9 w
AUCKLAND	NEW ZEALAND Fourth Test	LOST 190 r
Whangarei	Northland	Won 8 w
Palmerston North	New Zealand Colts	Won inns 35 r

Time spent in New Zealand before First Test:

18 days

(16 January - 3 February)

Time from end of final Test until departure from New Zealand 11 days

(13 March - 24 March)

Test appearances on tour

4 - Atkinson, Pairaudeau, Ramadhin, Smith, Sobers, Valentine, Weekes.

3 - Binns, Dewdney, Goddard.

2 - Depeiza, Furlonge, King.

1 - Roberts

0 - Edun

Highlights

• Ramadhin (6 for 23) dismissed New Zealand for a total of 74 in the opening Test match

• Everton Weekes scored a century in each of the first three Test matches; he also scored five consecutively in tour matches

• Denis Atkinson took 7 for 53 in 40 overs, opening the bowling at Dunedin.

Tour Summary

	P	W	L	D	Aban
Test Matches	4	3	1	0	-
Other first-class matches	5	4	0	1	-
ϯ Minor matches	7	4	1	2	-
All Matches	16	11	2	3	-

Return to West Indies

Wellington T Port of Spain

‘Tamaroa’

Because of the delayed departure of the West Indies team from New Zealand, the tourists played an extra

match against New Zealand Colts team at Palmerston North on March 17, 19 and 20.

Weekes, Ramadhin, Sobers and Smith flew out from Whenuapai on 21 March to play in the unofficial 'Test' at arranged by E W Swanton.

The remainder left Wellington on 24 March on the 'Tamaroa', via Panama, to Trinidad. Atkinson stayed a while on Trinidad but Goddard, Depeiza and King flew to Seawell Airport, Barbados, on 22 April.

Time away from West Indies

122 days

(22 December to 22 April)

Finances

Published accounts of the tour

Postscript