Matt Poore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Matt Poore

Poore in 1953–54
Personal information
Full name	Matt Beresford Poore
Born	(1930-06-01)1 June 1930 Christchurch, New Zealand
Died	11 June 2020(2020-06-11) (aged 90) North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm offbreak
International information
National side	New Zealand (1953–1956)
Test debut (cap 63)	13 March 1953 v South Africa
Last Test	6 January 1956 v India
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1950/51–1961/62	Canterbury
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 14 61 Runs scored 355 2,336 Batting average 15.43 23.12 100s/50s 0/0 2/11 Top score 45 142 Balls bowled 788 5,134 Wickets 9 68 Bowling average 40.77 26.66 5 wickets in innings 0 1 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 2/28 5/27 Catches/stumpings 1/– 14/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 April 2017

Matt Beresford Poore (born June 1, 1930 – died June 11, 2020) was a New Zealand cricket player. He played 14 Test matches for the New Zealand team in the 1950s. Matt Poore was born in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Playing for Canterbury: Domestic Cricket Career

Matt Poore was a right-handed batsman who usually batted in the middle of the team's batting order. He was also a useful bowler who could spin the ball away from right-handed batsmen (off-spin).

He played for the Canterbury team from 1950 to 1958. He then returned to play three more matches in 1961 and 1962.

Top Scores and Best Bowling

Matt Poore's highest score was 142 runs. This happened when he was opening the batting (starting the innings) against Central Districts in the 1954–55 season. In that same match, the next highest score was only 55 runs. This 142 was the highest score in the Plunket Shield competition that season.

He scored another century (100 runs or more) when he made 103 runs. This was against the Auckland team in 1956–57. In the same match, he also took 4 wickets for 72 runs while bowling. His best bowling figures were 5 wickets for 27 runs. He achieved this against the Indian Universities team in 1955–56.

A famous cricket writer, Dick Brittenden, once wrote about Matt Poore. He said that Poore looked like a future New Zealand batsman because of his elegant batting style. However, he often got out for small scores, which was a surprise to his fans.

Playing for New Zealand: International Cricket Career

Matt Poore played his first Test match in March 1953. This game was against the South Africa team in Auckland.

Tours and Challenges

He scored 170 runs during a five-Test series in South Africa in 1953–54. He also went on a tour to Pakistan and India in 1955–56. During this tour, he played in seven out of eight Test matches. However, he only scored 131 runs and took 4 wickets.

His best performances in Test cricket came in his very first match. He scored 45 runs and 8 runs (not out). He also took 2 wickets for 28 runs and 2 wickets for 43 runs. Even though he never scored a half-century (50 runs or more) in his 14 Test matches, he did score two centuries in first-class cricket. He holds a record for playing the most Test matches without scoring a half-century or taking three wickets in an innings.

During the tour of Pakistan and India, many New Zealand players, including Matt Poore, became ill. Once, because of his stomach medicine, he even fell asleep while standing on the field! In Bangalore, a stray dog bit him when he was trying to remove it from the playing area. He then had to get antibiotic injections in his stomach for two weeks. His teammates often had to give him these injections because there was no medical help nearby.

Personal Life

Matt Poore was married to his wife, Rae, for 63 years. He passed away at their retirement home in North Shore, Auckland, on June 11, 2020.