On the morning after a scintillating All Black triumph, the nation lost one of its great sporting heroes, and undoubted icon, in Eric William Thomas Tindill. Eric lived an admirable life and his longevity has been well documented but, at the ripe old age of 99, he has sadly passed away.
Tindill’s story is much more than the history books will ever say as he was a man of great loyalty and passion for the things and people he loved.
His life though was mixed with tragedy beyond the fields of the Basin Reserve and Athletic Park, two grounds with which he held strong affiliations.
His list of achievements is truly endless.
Most prominently he is credited with being in a distinguished band of seven ‘double All Blacks’, those who have represented New Zealand at cricket and rugby. Tindill however is the only one of this elite group to have played both sports at test level.
In rugby, Tindill was primarily a halfback, but could also more than adequately fill in at first five-eighth. He served the Wellington side with great pride and was eventually noticed by the All Black selectors.
Although he played just the one rugby test for New Zealand – on the tour to England in 1936 – he featured in 16 matches in all for the All Blacks, kicking five dropped goals in the process.
Like many of his era, his All Black career was, in all likelihood, affected by the outbreak of World War II. Famed New Zealand radio rugby commentator Winston McCarthy is reported to have said that Tindill was likely to have toured South Africa with the All Blacks in 1940 if it had gone ahead.
Tindill donned the wicket-keeping gloves in a prosperous cricketing career, and was no mug with the willow either.
As with his time in rugby, Tindill’s cricket career was arguably interrupted by the happenings in Europe at the time. Nonetheless he had a distinguished career for Wellington, a city of which he was a proud resident.
In a first-class career which spanned almost 16 years, Tindill played 69 matches, amassing over 3000 runs at a very respectable average of 30.35, and scoring 6 centuries along the way.
He was first selected on the tour to England in 1937, in which he played 3 tests, gracing famed grounds such as Old Trafford, The Oval and, the home of cricket, Lords.
At the age of 36, Tindill returned to the side, playing in two post-war home test matches against England and Australia in 1947. In his test career, as a wicket keeper, he took 6 catches and effected a stumping
However one of the most interesting episodes in his cricket whites was perhaps away from the test arena. The New Zealanders stopped over in Adelaide, en route to Britain, to take on South Australia – the only time they played a side featuring the great Sir Donald Bradman.
In the first over of play on the Saturday, Tindill caught Bradman for just 11 off the bowling of Jack Cowie. A huge crowd had packed the Adelaide Oval but were left disappointed.
The tale continues beyond his illustrious playing days.
Tindill distinguished himself as an officiator, umpiring both cricket and rugby at the top level. He refereed two of the touring Lions’ Tests against the All Blacks in 1950 and also controlled the second All Black test against the Wallabies in 1955.
Remarkably he then went on to umpire a cricket test between New Zealand and England in 1959!
He also continued to serve the sporting community. He was a selector for Wellington and New Zealand cricket and was, for many years, Secretary of the Wellington Cricket Association.
Eric also had a passion for other sports, notably boxing and table tennis.
He remained close to Athletic Rugby Club – since amalgamated into the Western Suburbs Rugby Club, the club where this writer played in his younger years. As recently as a few years ago he attended old timers day at the Wests’ clubrooms, catching up with some of his old pals.
The longevity of Tindill’s life has been well publicised, especially since celebrating his 99th birthday last December. At the time of his passing Eric was the oldest living test cricketer in the world and the oldest living All Black as well as being the only All Black alive to have played in the pre-war period.
These records sadly have come to an end. However, he remains the oldest test cricketer ever, a record he reached in November 2009 surpassing Englishman Francis MacKinnon.
His life’s sporting achievements were however intertwined with personal tragedy, losing both his wife and one of his four sons in accidents. One of his remaining sons, Paul, also went on to represent Wellington in cricket.
To this writer he was a dear relative, a great uncle to be exact. My family took immense pride in having a figure of his significance amongst us. Even though I only spent time with him on a few occasions those times are memories I treasure. He lived in a modest residence in the suburbs of Wellington with his sole daughter Molly.
She provided great care to her father and was a lively presence, always welcoming us into their home, never letting us leave hungry.
A memory which sums up his character was when I was a young aspiring wicket-keeper and Eric, well into his 90s, got down on his haunches and demonstrated the technique required.
He would never boast of his accomplishments, but always recalled them with a smile on his face. I possess a couple of treasures to remember him by; a photo with him and his precious All Black cap and a couple of his old heavy bats – how technology has changed.
Eric Tindill lived a life worth living. He inspired me through the passion he showed for his sport but, more importantly, through his humility. Eric Thomas William Tindill will be remembered as a unique New Zealand sporting icon.
May Uncle Eric rest in peace.
Klinger
Guest
Wonderful tribute Elliot. As an aside, Martin Donnelly who is mentioned above, and is one of the most accomplishes NZ test batsmen of all time, played rugby in the centres for England as well.
Bayman
Guest
Sad to read of the passing of Eric Tindill. The very idea that one man could play Test cricket and rugby for his country and also umpire both games at the highest level has always fascinated me. What made these men so different, so special? Of course, we may never know and it will - almost certainly - never happen again. One of my prized possessions is a book called "The Immortals". It contains a complete pen picture and photograph of every New Zealand Test cricketer up until it's release in 2006. It also contains the autographs of about 160 of these great players. On the first page are three signatures from the 1930s, Walter Hadlee, Jack Kerr and, of course, Eric Tindill. Sadly, with Eric's passing, all three are now gone. I remember buying the book and being extremely pleased to see Eric's signature included. Unfortunately, the true allrounders like Eric are no longer possible as each game extends its season to virtually twelve months of the year and players must decide between the two. It is the same here in Australia with the likes of Neil Hawke, Eric Freeman and Keith Miller a thing of the past. Strangely (from memory) Australia has had only one man who played Test cricket and rugby, Otto Nothling, who even more strangely was born on the day Eric Tindill died, August 1st. Elliot, a wonderful tribute to your great uncle and a lovely addition by Spiro. Moments like this make us all realise how great it would be to just sit down with fellows like Eric and have a chat about cricket and the past. I wish I could have done it and I'm envious of those who had the opportunity. RIP ET.
OneJayBee
Roar Rookie
Elliott, Thanks for a great tribute - very informative. A great innings, well done Eric - rest in peace.!
Spiro Zavos
Expert
Eric Tindall was also a good table tennis player, I think from memory he might have represented Wellington at the game. He also was a cricket selector, at all levels. As a kid I attended a school boys representative selection trial at the Basin Reserve. They had about a dozen wickets operating anf Eric was going around appraising the talent. Out of all this he selected the Wellington team, which somehow included me in it. I have always been grateful to him for this generous selection. Eric was the epitome of the gentleman. He never criticised the younger players. He was a calm man. When he refereed you hardly noticed that he was on the field. This unobtrusive efficiency was carried on with untold jobs he did behind the scenes on committees and various selection panels. So many of us brought up in Wellington have stories about Eric as an umpire or selector, and memories of his amiable good humour in carrying out these roles. He was of a generation that had their sporting and business lives spoiled by the Second World War. He was good enough to play Test cricket after the War but his rugby career at the top levels was over. Eric was born only a couple of years after New Zealand became a Dominion. He was part of the generation, therefore, born before the First World War that was undoubtedly New Zealand greatest generation. And he was one of the best of this generation, too.
Brett McKay
Guest
Elliott, thanks for this wonderful tribute, and you and your family have good reason to be very proud of Eric Tindill's achievements. On reading of his passing on Monday, I sincerely hoped that someone of knowledge and authority would pen a fitting tribute for The Roar, and you've done that beautifully, so again, thank you...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Elliot,your Uncle was also the oldest living Test Cricketer and you are indeed priviliged to have known him.There is so much humanity,history and knowledge stored in our Elders and we should not miss the opportunity to talk and learn from them. Knowledge comes from books and the internet. Wisdom comes from people.
sheek
Guest
Great stuff Elliott. As someone who loves both rugby & cricket, I was aware of his dual status. Certainly a different world back then. That NZ 37 cricket team was pretty useful - Tindill, Jack Cowie, Martin Donnelly, Merv Wallace, Wally Hadlee, among others. It's often been suggested how much better Cowie & Donnelly might have been had they been Aussies. They would have played more tests in the 30s & late 40s, & more opportunities to showcase their talent. Recently, at a NSW cricket association dinner, I had the pleasure to meet & listen to ex-kiwi cricketers Richard Collinge, Bruce Edgar, Bruce Murray & Bill Playle. Neither Murray nor Playle had outstanding test records, but it was rewarding to see & listen to the men behind the names, to get the human side. The big left-arm paceman Collinge had been one of my favourite kiwi cricketers, & I told him so, much to his delight. The truth is, anyone who represents their country in a sport, even briefly & modestly, is a champion. Tindill represented NZ in two sports - super champion!
Je Geniko
Guest
Rest in Peace Mr Eric Tindill.