Gordon Robertson
Personal information
Full name
Gordon John Robertson
Born(1909-02-15)15 February 1909
Gisborne, Poverty Bay, New Zealand
Died4 September 1983(1983-09-04) (aged 74)
Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1925/26–1935/36Poverty Bay
1937/38–1940/41Otago
1947/48–1949/50Hutt Valley
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 22 May 2016

Gordon John Robertson (15 February 1909 – 4 September 1983), sometimes known as Jack Robertson,[1] was a New Zealand cricketer. He played eleven first-class matches for Otago between the 1937–38 and 1940–41 seasons.[2]

Robertson was born at Gisborne in 1909[3] and educated at Gisborne Boys' High School. He played cricket at school and made his representative debut for Poverty Bay whilst still at school. He went on to play regularly for the side, including in the Hawke Cup between 1925–26 and 1935–36.[4][5] He played club cricket for a variety of sides and was considered "a cricketer of all-round talent" who was a "most valuable" part of his club sides and of the representative side.[4] Robertson had played rugby union at school as a full-back, and for a time played club rugby for the Old Boys' club in Gisborne as a wing three-quarter before a knee injury caused him to retire from the sport.[1][4][6] He also played lawn bowls to a high standard, boxed and took part in middle distance running events for Poverty Bay Amateur Athletic Club.[1]

Professionally Robertson worked for the National Bank of New Zealand in Gisborne before being promoted and moving to Dunedin in Otago in 1936.[4][7] He played for Dunedin Cricket Club and impressed with his all-round performance, particularly with his bowling which was described as "particularly impressive".[1] He was not selected for the Otago Plunket Shield side in his first season in Dunedin, although he did play for the province against North Otago and was twelfth man for the Shield match against Canterbury in February 1937.[1][5][8]

By the start of the following season he had been chosen as deputy-captain of the Dunedin club and made his representative debut for Otago on Christmas Day 1937 against Canterbury at Christchurch.[9][10][11] After recording a duck in his first innings, Robertson scored 57 runs in his second innings in the match, one of five half-centuries he scored during his first-class career. he also took three wickets in Canterbury's second innings and played in both of Otago's other Shield matches during the season, scoring another half-century against Wellington.[5]

The following two seasons saw Robertson play in all of Otago's Plunket Shield fixtures. He made a score of 73 against Auckland in 1938–39 and 83 not out against Canterbury in 1939–40, the highest score of his first-class career.[5] Considered a "well-known player" who was considered a "solid bat" and "no mean" bowler,[12] Robertson played some wartime cricket for Otago, including two first-class matches during the 1940–41 season,[5] but by the time the Plunket Shield resumed after World War II he had moved to the Wellington area where he played club cricket for Petone.[13] He played Hawke Cup matches for Hutt Valley between 1947–48 and 1949–50, captaining the side. He later coached the Hutt Valley team.[14]

Robertson died at Lower Hutt in 1983. He was aged 74.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sports Snaps No. 65: GJ Robertson, Evening Star, issue 22768, 1 October 1937, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  2. 1 2 Gordon Robertson, CricInfo. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  3. ↑ McCarron A (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 114. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. ISBN 978 1 905138 98 2 (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Loss to cricket, Poverty Bay Herald, volume LXIII, issue 19043, 17 June 1936, p. 7. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Robbie Robertson, CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 December 2023. (subscription required)
  6. ↑ Cricket, Poverty Bay Herald, volume LXIV, issue 19454, 13 October 1937, p. 14. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  7. ↑ Personals, Gisborne Times, volume LXXXIV, issue 12899, 27 June 1936, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  8. ↑ Saturday's cricket, Evening Star, issue 22573, 15 February 1937, p. 2. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  9. ↑ Gisborne cricketer, Poverty Bay Herald, volume LXIV, issue 19471, 2 November 1937, p. 6. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  10. ↑ Personal, Poverty Bay Herald, volume LXIV, issue 19507, 14 December 1937, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  11. ↑ Cricket season opened, Evening Star, issue 22782, 18 October 1937, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  12. ↑ Cricket, The Press, volume LXXVI, issue 23210, 23 December 1940, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  13. ↑ Cricket, Evening Star, issue 25944, 8 November 1946, p. 5. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)
  14. ↑ People in the play, The Press, volume XCIX, issue 29354, 5 November 1960, p. 5. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 15 December 2023.)


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