Roger Blunt: Difference between revisions

| birth_place = [[Durham, England|Durham]], [[England]]

| year1 = {{nowrap|1917-18 to 1924-/18–1924/25}}

| year2 = 1926-27 to 1931-/27–1931/32

| catches/stumpings1= 5/-–

| runs2 = 79537,953

| top score2 = 338[[not out|*]]

| deliveries2 = 1325213,252

| catches/stumpings2= 88/-–

'''Roger Charles Blunt''' [[{{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE]]}} (3 November 1900 – 22 June 1966) was a [[cricket]]er who played nine [[Test cricket|TestsTest matches]] for the [[New Zealand national cricket team|New Zealand]].

Blunt was born in England, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was six months old.<ref>[http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154705.html CRICKETER OF THE YEAR 1928 Roger Blunt]. ''Wisden Cricketer of the Year''. ESPN cricinfo</ref> His father, a graduate of [[Christ Church, Oxford]], was a professor at [[University of Canterbury|Canterbury College]] in [[Christchurch]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Christ's College, Canterbury, N.Z.|journal=The Cricketer|date=February 1923|volume=III|page=25|url=http://magazine.cricketarchive.com/Magazine/1922-23/vol_iii_february_1923/index.html#27/z|accessdate=12 March 2017}}</ref> Blunt was educated at [[Christ's College, Christchurch]], where he captained the First XI cricket team.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bill Francis|title=Tom Lowry: Leader in a Thousand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVPtQwAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Trio Books|isbn=978-0-9582839-8-4|page=34}}</ref>

A batsman and leg-spinner, Blunt began his first-class career at 17 on Christmas Day 1917 for [[Canterbury cricket team|Canterbury]] against [[Otago cricket team|Otago]] at Christchurch, taking six wickets. He was a prolific batsman in domestic cricket throughout the 1920s. He was the leading run-maker in the 1922-231922–23 season, scoring 583 first-class runs at an average of 53.00, helping Canterbury to win the [[Plunket Shield]].<ref name=FCB>{{cite web |title=First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Roger Blunt |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/520/f_Batting_by_Season.html |website=CricketArchive |accessdate=30 March 2020}}</ref> He moved from Christchurch to [[Dunedin]] in 1926.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Roger Blunt's Great Record |journal=Northern Advocate |date=17 July 1926 |page=11 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19260717.2.85}}</ref>

In New Zealand's first Test, against England in Christchurch in January 1930, Blunt made more runs and took more wickets than any other New Zealander (45 not out and 7; 3 for 17 and 2 for 17) as New Zealand lost by 8 wickets.<ref>{{cite web |title=1st Test, England tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Jan 10-13 1930 |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17592/scorecard/62572/new-zealand-vs-england-1st-test-england-tour-of-new-zealand-1929-30 |website=Cricinfo |accessdate=30 March 2020}}</ref> He played in all of New Zealand's first nine Tests: four against England in 1929–30, three against England in 1931, and two against South Africa in 1931–32. His highest Test score was 96 against England at Lord's in 1931.<ref>{{cite web |title=1st Test, Lord's, June 27 - 30, 1931 |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-tour-of-england-1931-62075/england-vs-new-zealand-1st-test-62595/full-scorecard |website=Cricinfo |access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref>

Batting for Otago against Canterbury in Christchurch in 1931–32, heBlunt made 338 not out at a run a minute<ref>[http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/36301.html Roger Blunt]. ESPN cricinfo</ref> out of a total of 589 all out, in a match that Otago nevertheless lost. It was the highest first-class score by a New Zealander until [[Bert Sutcliffe]] beat it with 355 in 1949–50. HeBlunt also held the record as the highest-scoring New Zealand batsman with 7769 runs until Sutcliffe surpassed it in 1953.<ref name=W68/> Blunt's best first-class bowling figures were 8 for 99 for Otago against Auckland in Dunedin in 1930–31.<ref>{{cite web |title=Otago v Auckland 1930-31 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1930S/1930-31/NZ_LOCAL/PS/OTAGO_AUCK_PS_01-05JAN1931.html |website=Cricinfo |access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref>

After the 1931–32 season heBlunt played no further cricket in New Zealand, but did appear in three first-class matches in England in 1934 and 1935. He played many minor matches for Sir [[Julien Cahn]]'s XI in England from 1933 to 1938, and toured North America with Cahn's XI in 1933.<ref>{{cite web |title=Miscellaneous Matches played by Roger Blunt |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/520/Miscellaneous_Matches.html |website=CricketArchive |accessdate=30 March 2020}}</ref>

After retiring from first-class cricket, Blunt lived in England, where he was a successful businessman. He captained [[London New Zealand Cricket Club]] in its inaugural match in 1952 and remained a prominent member of the club. In his memory the Roger Blunt Award is given annually for services to the club.<ref>{{cite web |title=Roger Blunt Award for Services to the Club |url=http://www.lnzcc.org/services-to-the-club.html |website=LNZCC |accessdate=23 March 2020}}</ref>

Blunt also became a radio commentator on cricket broadcasts, joining the [[BBC]] team for the [[New Zealand cricket team in England in 1949|1949 New Zealand tour of England]].<ref>[[Christopher Martin-Jenkins]] (1990) ''Ball by Ball'', Grafton, London, p. 89. {{ISBN|9780246135681}}.</ref> HeIn 1953, he was awarded the MBE[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/other/nz_gazette/1953/37.pdf |title=Coronation Medal |work=Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette |issue=37 |date=3 July 1953 |access-date=17 April 2021 |pages=1021–1035}}</ref> He was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] in the [[1965 Birthday Honours|1965 Queen's Birthday Honours]].<ref name=W68>''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' 1967, p. 963.</ref>

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