Tributes Flow For ‘Visionary’ Cricketer And Manager John F. Reid

John F. Reid, the accomplished left-handed batsman and later cricket manager, has been remembered by his peers as a reliable teammate who was a great spinning bowler.

Reid, who played 19 events for New Zealand – scoring 1,296 runs at an average of 46.28, including six centuries – and then went on to have a career as an administrator, has been described as “graceful,” a “gentleman,” a “visionary.” and one of the “best hitters and servants in the game.”

The Black Caps wore black armbands on the final day of the test against Pakistan in tribute to Reid, who passed away Monday at age 64.

New Zealand Cricket said that Reid was recognized as one of New Zealand’s best effects players. The southpaw scored all but one of his six centuries against subcontinental opposition, particularly against Pakistan in 1984-85.

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His teammate John Wright remembers the sub-content tours well, particularly to Sri Lanka. He said that while others on the team struggled with the heat, Reid was calm, collected and collected.

“John was very calm, collected and level-headed. He was a good coach when it came to cricket, ”he said.

“As a person, he was a good team man. He was a silent achiever. It was always constant. Trustworthy. Trustworthy. Crafty”

Wright first encountered Reid in the under-20 and under-23 cricket group when Reid was the captain of Auckland.

“A lot of us who played with John went through those tournaments. He was a strong cricketer, ”he said.

“It took him a while to be chosen for the [New Zealand team] and to think that he only played 20 tests … he was such a good player that you would probably think that he could have played more and chose earlier.

“When he came [into the NZ team] He did it right away. In the short time he played for us, he made a difference. He was a good man. “

Sir Richard Hadlee’s best memory of Reid was his standout 108 against Australia at the Gabba in 1985, where he combined in a third-field of 284 with Martin Crowe to form the backbone of the 553/7 total of the winning first inning. New Zealand. declared.

He helped secure New Zealand’s first test victory on Australian soil.

“Their contribution was quite significant … those two put the game firmly under our control and gave us a significant advantage that allowed us to win that first round in Australia,” Hadlee said.

“That’s [century] I remember the occasion and how he faced the onslaught of Australian bowling. “

It was quite a celebration after the victory – “obviously because we lost the next round,” Hadlee laughed – but New Zealand won the third round, securing the series against their trans-Tasman rivals.

“He played hard. He played fair. He was a very good thinker of the game; the way you should play and with strategies, both playing and as a manager, always looking for fresh ideas, “he said.

“He had a big smile… and he was a very good competitor. He’s a nice guy. Not many people would have said a bad word about him. I think it’s a good way to be remembered. “

The year of that incredible partnership with Crowe, Reid was recognized as New Zealand’s Cricket Almanack Player of the Year, for the second time. The first came in 1981. He briefly retired from cricket in 1985 to devote time to his day job as a geography teacher in high school.

The International Cricket Council acknowledged Reid’s passing in a tweet on Wednesday that said: “Reid remains the fastest New Zealand player to score 1000 test runs, and it only took him 20 innings to reach the milestone. Reid also had training stints with both men’s and women’s national teams in his home country. ”

Reid was part of the 2000 World Cup winning White Ferns coaching lineup. Catherine Campbell said Reid was a “key member” of the team, providing structure around preparation, including playing against men’s teams.

“John was clearly someone who had that vision of thinking about how we could prepare slightly differently,” he said.

“John didn’t like the spotlight, but… he was proud. He played a supporting role and was delighted by everyone. [at the World Cup]”.

Campbell described Reid as a “visionary”, with that vision that encompasses all levels of the game.

“He also had a great love for community play. Community cricket, from all parts of the game. I had no ego. He didn’t always want to be involved at the top of the game, which I think is a trademark of John, ”he said.

“There would be very few people involved with cricket who had nothing to do with John Reid. At the club level, at the replay level, at the New Zealand level, he played all of the cricket.

“That is a huge legacy for someone who has left and has been involved in.”

The New Zealand Cricket Players Association said it was saddened by the passing of Reid, whom they described as “one of the best batsmen and servants in the game in our country.”

Auckland Cricket said Reid – the “classy left-handed hitter” – played 69 first-class games for Auckland between 1975 and 1988, scoring 3,733 runs, including five centuries. As a goalkeeper, Reid claimed 90 receptions and eight punches during his 13 years with the team.

After his days as a gamer, Reid went into management. He was the first CEO of Auckland Cricket before serving at New Zealand Cricket in the mid-1990s, and then at Sparc (now Sport New Zealand) in 2005.

New Zealand cricket colleague Tim Murdoch said Reid was a “likeable, courteous figure … like a gentleman” and a “hell of a player” who played an important role in establishing the National High Cricket Academy. Performance at the University of Lincoln, alongside Chris Doig.

“That was really his passion. Initially it was training, then the integral development of the players through the creation of the academy ”, he said.

“Cricket was his passion and he had a great way of watching cricket. Probably a great achievement for New Zealand Cricket that is not necessarily the most important thing to the people … a lot of background work that was very much appreciated by those in that area. “

Reid was a regular at a monthly meeting for former Canterbury-based New Zealand Cricket staff, and part of a “great team of people”, who would get together for a drink and a chat, sometimes about cricket, but especially about the family. careers and life in general, Murdoch said.

“He was a young man, with so much more to contribute, taken too early. It’s very sad news, ”he said.

NZC CEO David White said Reid had not only been a champion player, but also one of the most influential management figures in the game.

“Apart from everything else, John was the most charming and attractive man who inspired everyone around him, including generations of young and female cricketers.

“We will miss him very much.”

In later years, Reid was active in local government with the Selwyn District Council as a property manager for the council’s major projects since 2015. He oversaw the development of Foster Park and the Selwyn Sports Center and recently named the sports hall. with hardwood flooring at the Selwyn Sports Center after him.

Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said Reid has “left a wonderful legacy” to the sport.

“John has been an integral part of our team and many of us have spent time learning from his kindness and determination to see what is best for Selwyn is done,” he said.

“He was an excellent man to have led our key projects and his relational jokes and pragmatic approach really stood out. We will miss him and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. “

Reid is survived by his wife Karen, daughters Amanda and Carolyn, and their six grandchildren: Eva, Charlotte, Ruby, Blake, Heidi, and Reid.

His funeral will be held at Tai Tapu, near Christchurch, on Saturday.