Alfred Holdship facts for kids
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Alfred Richardson Holdship
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| Born | 15 October 1867 Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Died | 28 January 1923 (aged 55) Sydney, Australia |
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| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricket Archive, 14 March 2014
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Alfred Richardson Holdship (born October 15, 1867 – died January 28, 1923) was a talented New Zealand cricketer. He played in important matches called first-class cricket from 1893 to 1899. He also had the special role of being the second ever captain of the New Zealand cricket team.
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Alfred Holdship's Early Life and Studies
Alfred Holdship was born in Auckland, New Zealand. When he was young, he went to England for his education. He first attended Cheltenham College, where he played cricket for the school's top team. Later, he went to Caius College, which is part of Cambridge University.
After university, he earned a degree called a BA. He then decided to study law in London at a place called the Inner Temple. In 1892, he officially became a lawyer, which is known as being "called to the Bar." After finishing his studies, he returned to New Zealand to work as a lawyer in Wellington.
Alfred Holdship's Cricket Career
Alfred Holdship was known as a very graceful batsman. He could hit the ball in many different ways. He was also an amazing fielder, catching balls and stopping runs. Sometimes, he would even bowl.
First-Class Debut
He played his first big cricket match, known as a first-class game, in December 1893. In this match, he was the captain for the Wellington team against the Auckland team.
In a later match against Auckland in January, he scored 70 runs. This was the highest score made by any player in that game. In February, he played in New Zealand's very first international cricket match. This was against the New South Wales team from Australia.
Captain of New Zealand
Alfred continued to be the captain for Wellington. When the New South Wales team visited again in 1895-96, Alfred was chosen to captain the New Zealand team. Under his leadership, New Zealand achieved their first-ever victory against an international team!
He played for New Zealand again in 1896–97, this time against the Queensland team. Although he wasn't the captain in this match, he scored 69 runs, which was the highest score for his team. New Zealand won this game too.
Later Cricket Matches
In 1897–98, Alfred Holdship scored his highest number of runs in a single match: 79. He was captaining Wellington against the Canterbury team. His excellent score helped Wellington win the match by an innings.
His last cricket match was in 1898–99, again against Canterbury. He scored 65 runs, which was the most for Wellington in that game. However, his team still lost by an innings.
Alfred Holdship's Life After Cricket
After his cricket career ended, Alfred Holdship continued to work as a lawyer. He practiced law in Wanganui for about ten years. Later, he moved to Australia.
In 1914, he was allowed to practice law in Sydney. There, he and his brother started their own law firm called Messrs Holdship and Holdship. Alfred Holdship passed away in Sydney when he was 55 years old. His wife, Maude, survived him.
