As sponsorship arrangements go, the connection between Shell and cricket has been one of the more enduring relationships in New Zealand sport
Lynn McConnell15-Jun-2001As sponsorship arrangements go, the connection between Shell and cricket has been one of the more enduring relationships in New Zealand sport.But the connection that first began, in a small way with the sponsorship of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack in 1965, and was extended significantly in 1975/76 with the support for the Shell Series, is over.At the time the sponsorship for New Zealand’s domestic competition was in its infancy, limited overs cricket was a new phenomenon, and two rounds of first-class games were unheard of.The introduction of the new competition format was timely.New Zealand was in the middle of the advance from second-rate cricket nation to genuine international force. It was only a few years away from starting the run that saw it go unbeaten in Test series at home in the 1980s.Glenn Turner had become a significant force on the county scene in England and players like Geoff Howarth, John Wright and Richard Hadlee were soon plying their trade in that environment.Earlier, in the late 1960s and early 1970s the New Zealand team had regularly taken part in the Australian domestic one-day competition, several times winning the knockout competition.One-day cricket was still a novelty, and certainly nothing compared with the force it has become on the world scene now. New Zealand had made the semi-finals of the first World Cup in 1975, being beaten by the eventual winners, the West Indies.Since 1974 the country was also receiving an international team every year.The time was ripe for the greatest increase in New Zealand’s domestic programme in its history.The adoption of the Shell Series in 1975/76, which involved the abolition of the Plunket Shield – the prize for the first-class cricket champions since it was first awarded in 1921/22, involved a full round of games between teams for the Shell Cup, then a second round of knockout games which ended with a final.This programme continued until the 1979/80 season when the Shell Cup became the sole preserve of the one-day competition.In the meantime the Packer Revolution occurred in Australia and changed forever the shape of the domestic game around the world.Intense television coverage made the limited overs game much more appealing and one-day games became part of the staple diet of teams all around the world.For New Zealanders though, the increase in domestic cricket opportunities improved standards immeasurably.This carried through to the international scene where New Zealand enjoyed the greatest period of its history until that time. Much of that was bolstered by the increasing exposure of New Zealand players to English conditions during the winter. Martin Crowe joined the more established players on the county scene while countless others have played league cricket.It has all decreased the education time required for New Zealand players to be best equipped for international play.While alterations have occurred in the domestic programme, depending on whatever the motivation is for the time, it cannot be argued that the Shell involvement has gone hand in hand with the greatest advancement of the New Zealand game.The second great era of the game is underway with a group of players who have now become regular internationals on the basis of their upbringing in the Shell environment.The record books are now full of players who have made significant marks during this time and the best of these are listed in the statistical details listed below.There were many highlights to savour:Martin Crowe’s golden summer for Central Districts in 1986/87 when he scored 1348 runs at an average of 103.69 has never been matched. He hit six centuries in the season for CD and did the ground work for an amazing year in 1987 during which he hit more than 4000 runs.Canterbury’s outstanding consistency in the 1990s when the side won three Shell Trophies and seven Shell Cups. They started out with older hands like Paul McEwan and Rod Latham providing the leadership and performance as newcomers like Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Craig McMillan complemented the arrival of Chris Cairns in the region and set up the latest dynasty in New Zealand’s first-class game.Chris Harris’ outstanding summer of 1996/97 when he did everything possible to decry the accepted view of the time that he couldn’t be considered as a batsman. He scored two double centuries, including a 251 not out, the highest score for Canterbury, a 206, a 198 and a 93 to end the Trophy season with an average of 139.16.The phenomenal post-Test retirement run scoring of Wellington’s Bruce Edgar in the late 1980s. Claiming he was more relaxed in his batting, Edgar “loosened up” to the point where in successive seasons he scored: 676 (1987/88), 762 (1988/89) and 720 (1989/90) while in the 1988/89 season he shared in two 300-run opening partnerships. The highest was 333 with Andrew Jones against Auckland, and the second 310 with Robert Vance against Northern Districts, also at Wellington.The two golden Northern Districts summers of 1987/88 and 1988/89 when Graeme Hick paid an outstanding dividend for the association. He may have played only two seasons but in 17 matches he scored 2055 runs at 79.03, including 10 centuries, the most by an ND player, and his 211 not out against Auckland in 1988/89 was one of the great innings of Shell Trophy history.Then there was the amazing Canterbury-Wellington game of 1994/95 when 1945 runs were scored for the loss of only 18 wickets as Wellington won the game by six wickets. The aggregate was a world record for a four-day match, and it was the fourth highest in world first-class cricket history. The seven centuries scored equalled a record set in 1923/24. Wellington’s successful chase for 475 to win the game was a New Zealand record.The same two teams also played what still ranks as the greatest domestic one-day game in the final of the 1991/92 Shell Cup.The extended season when introduced proved a boon for New Zealand’s slow bowlers. Otago off spinner Peter Petherick was the first to show out in the first summer in 1975/76 with 42 wickets at 20.16. In the third summer of the new format in 1977/78 the slow bowlers were showing the benefits of their longer exposure at the bowling crease. Stephen Boock (then playing for Canterbury) 56 wickets at 15.66, David O’Sullivan (Central Districts) 44 at 20.22, Peter Petherick (Otago) 45 at 17.15. In 1978/79 Boock took 54 at 18.51 and in 1979/80 Cliff Dickeson 39 at 19.35.Shell Series Statistics, 1975/76-2000/01Most runs
6202 Robert Vance (W) 1976/77-1990/916197 Bruce Edgar (W) 1975/76-1989/905870 Rod Latham (C) 1980/81-1994/955854 Paul McEwan (C) 1977/78-1990/915559 John Wright (ND/C/A) 1975/76-1992/935377 Martin Crowe (A/CD/W) 1980/81-1994/955235 Bruce Blair (O/ND) 1977/78-1989/905161 Mark Greatbatch (A/CD) 1982/83-1997/984789 Ken Rutherford (O) 1982/83-1993/94
Most wickets
482 Stephen Boock (C/O) 1975/76-1989/90345 Evan Gray (W) 1975/76-1990/91333 David O'Sullivan (CD) 1975/76-1984/85325 Ewen Chatfield (W) 1975/76-1989/90287 Mark Priest (C) 1987/88-1998/99262 Neil Mallender (O) 1983/84-1992/93249 John Bracewell (O/A) 1978/79-1989/90240 Cliff Dickeson (ND) 1975/76-1985/86234 Richard Hadlee (C) 1975/76-1989/90223 Gary Robertson (CD) 1979/80-1989/90
Highest scores
254* Robert Vance W v ND Wellington 1988/89251* Chris Harris C v CD Rangiora 1996/97242 Martin Crowe CD v O New Plymouth 1989/90241 Matt Horne O v A Auckland 1997/98237* Rod Latham C v ND Rotorua 1990/91222 Ian Rutherford O v CD New Plymouth 1978/79219 Matthew Bell W v ND Hamilton 1998/99216 Matthew Bell W v A Auckland 1997/98212* David Kelly CD v C Blenheim 2000/01211* Graeme Hick ND v A Auckland 1988/89
Best bowling
9-48 Alex Tait ND v A Hamilton 1996/979-93 Peter Petherick O v ND Dunedin 1975/769-95 Mark Priest C v O Dunedin 1989/908-24 Ewen Chatfield W v ND Lower Hutt 1979/808-27 Justin Vaughan A v O Alexandra 1996/978-31 David Sewell O v CD Invercargill 1996/978-37 Evan Gray W v C Lower Hutt 1985/868-46 Lance Cairns O v W Invercargill 1978/798-57 Stephen Boock O v A Dunedin 1989/908-59 Stephen Boock O v W Invercargill 1978/79
Partnership records
1st 333 Bruce Edgar & Andrew Jones W v A Wellington2nd 317 Ron Hart & Scott Briasco CD v C New Plymouth3rd 394* Peter Kennedy & Rod Latham C v ND Rotorua4th 280 Jeff Crowe & Dipak Patel A v ND Auckland5th 341 Gavin Larsen & Ervin McSweeney W v CD Levin6th 226 Evan Gray & Ross Ormiston W v CD Wellington7th 241 Nathan Astle & Mark Priest C v W Christchurch8th 180 Roger Twose & Matthew Goodson W v O Dunedin9th 188 Neal Parlane & Daryl Tuffey ND v W Wellington10th 160 Lee Germon & Warren Wisneski C v ND Rangiora
Seasonal individual centuries and top scorers
100s HS1975/76 16 177* Glenn Turner O v W1976/77 15 177* Glenn Turner ND v CD1977/78 14 133 Ian Rutherford CD v C1978/79 13 222 Ian Rutherford O v CD1979/80 13 152* Bruce Edgar W v CD1980/81 21 193* David Stead C v CD1981/82 11 150 Martin Crowe A v CD1982/83 21 179 Ross Ormiston W v CD1983/84 21 167* Ron Hart CD v C1984/85 18 181 Trevor Franklin A v ND1985/86 25 209* David White ND v CD1986/87 33 192 John Wright C v CD1987/88 32 205* Ervin McSweeney W v CD1988/89 37 254* Robert Vance W v ND1989/90 29 242 Martin Crowe CD v O1990/91 33 237* Rod Latham C v ND1991/92 39 204 Dipak Patel A v ND1992/93 18 167 Shane Thomson ND v CD1993/94 13 202 Michael Austen W v CD1994/95 28 193* Martin Crowe W v C1995/96 23 202 Mark Greatbatch CD v ND1996/97 24 251* Chris Harris C v CD1997/98 15 241 Matt Horne O v A1998/99 19 219 Matthew Bell W v ND1999/00 18 167 Blair Pocock A v W2000/01 39 212* David Kelly CD v C
Season five wicket innings hauls and best bowling
5wi BB1975/76 25 9-93 Peter Petherick O v ND1976/77 16 7-62 Dennis Kay CD v C1977/78 24 7-46 Peter Petherick O v C1978/79 29 8-46 Lance Cairns O v W1979/80 22 8-24 Ewen Chatfield W v ND1980/81 22 7-79 Cliff Dickeson ND v CD1981/82 22 7-9 John Bracewell O v C1982/83 19 7-28 Vaughan Brown C v W1983/84 18 7-40 Peter Visser CD v A1984/85 24 7-17 Steve Maguiness W v C1985/86 18 8-37 Evan Gray W v C1986/87 32 8-83 Ewen Chatfield W v O1987/88 18 7-52 Michael Holding C v O1988/89 17 7-97 Grant Cederwall W v ND1989/90 26 9-95 Mark Priest C v O1990/91 29 7-39 Chris Cairns C v CD1991/92 27 7-34 Chris Cairns C v CD1992/93 17 7-50 Richard de Groen ND v O1993/94 24 7-56 Chris Pringle A v O1994/95 19 7-34 Justin Vaughan A v CD1995/96 14 7-50 Paul Wiseman O v W1996/97 37 9-48 Alex Tait ND v A1997/98 16 8-107 Brooke Walker A v C1998/99 15 6-49 Chris Drum A v C1999/00 20 7-33 Bruce Martin ND v A2000/01 28 7-12 Daryl Tuffey ND v W
Seasonal century partnerships and highest stands
100s Best1975/76 17 165 Glenn Turner & Warren Lees O v W1976/77 20 173 Ian Rutherford & Warren Lees O v A1977/78 12 178 John Parker & John Wright ND v CD1978/79 24 179 Barry Hadlee & Murray Parker C v A1979/80 15 176 Robert Vance & Richard Reid W v CD1980/81 15 237 Grant Gibson & Chris Kuggeleijn ND v C1981/82 27 226 Evan Gray & Ross Ormiston W v CD1982/83 19 220 Matthew Toynbee & Ian Smith CD v A1983/84 24 317 Ron Hart & Scott Briasco CD v C1984/85 22 211* Kevin Burns & Andrew Jones O v W1985/86 40 278 Trevor Franklin & Dipak Patel A v C1986/87 38 276* Martin Crowe & Scott Briasco CD v C1987/88 31 341 Gavin Larsen & Ervin McSweeney W v CD1988/89 47 333 Bruce Edgar & Andrew Jones W v A1989/90 43 199 Martin Crowe & Mark Douglas CD v ND1990/91 44 394* Peter Kennedy & Rod Latham C v ND1991/92 40 346 Graham Burnett & Ross Verry W v ND1992/93 23 211 David White & Bryan Young ND v A1993/94 23 316 Michael Austen & Ron Hart W v CD1994/95 31 287 Blair Hartland & Gary Stead C v W1995/96 30 305 Robbie Lawson & Martyn Croy O v CD1996/97 35 290 Chris Harris & Gary Stead C v CD1997/98 27 287 Matthew Bell & Jason Wells W v A1998/99 18 244 Craig Spearman & Mathew Sinclair CD v ND1999/00 26 188 Neal Parlane & Daryl Tuffey ND v W2000/01 56 274 Richard Jones & Stephen Mather W v O
Shell Trophy winners
1975/76 Canterbury (Shell Cup for first round: Canterbury)1976/77 Otago (Northern Districts)1977/78 Auckland (Canterbury)1978/79 Otago (Otago)1979/80 Northern Districts1980/81 Auckland1981/82 Wellington1982/83 Wellington1983/84 Canterbury1984/85 Wellington1985/86 Otago1986/87 Central Districts1987/88 Otago1988/89 Auckland1989/90 Wellington1990/91 Auckland1991/92 Central Districts and Northern Districts1992/93 Northern Districts1993/94 Canterbury1994/95 Auckland1995/96 Auckland1996/97 Canterbury1997/98 Canterbury1998/99 Central Districts1999/00 Northern Districts2000/01 Wellington
Shell Cup winners
1980/81 Auckland1981/82 Wellington1982/83 Auckland1983/84 Auckland1984/85 Central Districts1985/86 Canterbury1986/87 Auckland1987/88 Otago1988/89 Wellington1989/90 Auckland1990/91 Wellington1991/92 Canterbury1992/93 Canterbury1993/94 Canterbury1994/95 Northern Districts1995/96 Canterbury1996/97 Canterbury1997/98 Northern Districts1998/99 Canterbury1999/00 Canterbury2000/01 Central Districts