Don Taylor

TAYLOR, DONALD DOUGALD, died on December 5, 1980, aged 57. Playing for Auckland from 1946 to 1961, he appeared three times for New Zealand in Tests, against England in 1946-47, against West Indies at Wellington in 1955-56, when he made 43 and 77, and in the final match of that series, which produced New Zealand's first Test victory. However, he is best remembered for his opening partnerships of 220 and 286 with Bert Sutcliffe for Auckland against Canterbury in 1948-49, the only instance of two players putting up 200 in each innings of a first-class match. Taylor's own share was 99 and 143.

After this he was perhaps unlucky not to be picked for the tour of England in 1949. Instead, he came over and qualified for Warwickshire, but though he played some useful innings for them, notably 90 not out in as many minutes against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1951, he could never command a regular place. He returned to New Zealand after the season of 1953. A neat, attractive, stroke-playing batsman, in all first-class cricket he scored 3,734 runs with an average of 23.63.