Dick Motz facts for kids
Motz in 1961
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| Full name |
Richard Charles Motz
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| Born | 12 January 1940 Christchurch, New Zealand |
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| Died | 29 April 2007 (aged 67) Christchurch, New Zealand |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 92) | 8 December 1961 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 21 August 1969 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 1 April 2017
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Richard Charles Motz (born January 12, 1940 – died April 29, 2007) was a famous New Zealand cricketer. He was known as a right-arm fast bowler and a strong batsman who could hit the ball far. Motz played in 32 Test matches for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1961 and 1969. He made history by becoming the very first bowler from New Zealand to take 100 wickets in Test cricket.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Dick Motz was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He went to North New Brighton primary school and Linwood High School. He was a talented all-rounder in sports, meaning he was good at many different games.
Besides cricket, he also played rugby, tennis, badminton, and golf. After finishing school, he played as a full-back for the New Brighton rugby team for two years.
Playing Cricket in New Zealand
Motz started his professional cricket career playing for the Canterbury team. He made his debut in the Plunket Shield in 1957, which is a top New Zealand cricket competition. He was still a schoolboy when he first played, and he immediately showed his skill by taking 4 wickets for only 40 runs.
He quickly became known as a powerful fast bowler who was tough to face. He was also a strong batsman, especially lower down the batting order, who could hit big shots.
Some of his best performances happened in New Zealand. In 1966–67, he took 8 wickets for just 61 runs against the Wellington team. The next year, in 1967–68, he scored 103 runs without being out against Otago. This was his only century (scoring 100 runs or more) in first-class cricket, and he did it in less than an hour!
When he toured Australia in 1967–68, he scored 94 runs against South Australia. A big part of that score, 76 runs, came from hitting boundaries, including 6 sixes and 10 fours.
International Cricket Career
Dick Motz made his Test cricket debut in December 1961 in Durban, South Africa. Many players, including five from New Zealand and seven from South Africa, started their Test careers in that match. During that tour, he took 81 wickets in total, showing how effective he was.
In his Test career, he managed to take five wickets in an innings five times. This included one time in England and two times each against India and the West Indies in New Zealand. He was also a useful batsman, scoring three half-centuries (50 runs or more) in Test matches, all of them against England in New Zealand.
In 1968, Motz faced a rare moment when he was briefly stopped from bowling in a Test match. This happened because he accidentally ran onto the pitch while bowling, which is against the rules.
In his very last Test match, which was against England at The Oval in August 1969, Motz reached a huge milestone. He became the first bowler from New Zealand to take 100 Test wickets. He achieved this by getting Phil Sharpe out leg before wicket.
Motz received several awards for his amazing cricket skills. He was named New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year in 1961. He was also recognized as the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1962. In 1966, he was honored as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, which is a very prestigious award in cricket.
Life After Cricket
Dick Motz's cricket career ended when he was 29 years old. He had been playing with a back injury for over a year, and it was discovered he had a displaced vertebra (a bone in his spine).
After retiring from cricket, he worked as a taxi driver. He also ran a sports business for a while. Later, he managed a pub in Timaru.
In 1997, Dick Motz was honored by being inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. This recognized his significant contributions to New Zealand sports.
He was married twice and had two daughters. He passed away in Christchurch in 2007. His former captain, Graham Dowling, found him at his home.
