Neil Hawke facts for kids
Hawke in 1958
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Neil James Napier Hawke
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| Born | 27 June 1939 Cheltenham, South Australia |
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| Died | 25 December 2000 (aged 61) Adelaide, South Australia |
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| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All rounder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 224) | 15 February 1963 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 20 June 1968 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959/60 | Western Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960/61–1967/68 | South Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968/69 | Tasmania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 7 January 2020
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Neil James Napier Hawke (born 27 June 1939 – died 25 December 2000) was a famous Australian Test cricketer. He was also a top player in Australian rules football.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Talent
Neil Hawke was born in Cheltenham, South Australia. From a young age, he showed great talent in many sports. He was excellent at cricket, football, and golf.
Cricket Career
Hawke became well-known in cricket as a medium-fast bowler. He had a unique "crab-like" bowling style. He was also a good batsman who could score runs lower down the batting order. Plus, he was a strong fielder.
He played his first major cricket match for Western Australia in November 1959. In that game, he scored 89 runs. After this, he moved back to South Australia.
Test Debut and Early Success
Neil Hawke made his debut in Test cricket on 15 February 1963. This was against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He scored 14 runs and took 2 wickets in the match.
He was part of the 1963/64 Sheffield Shield winning team for South Australia. He also toured England, India, and Pakistan in 1964. In 1965, he toured the West Indies.
Top Performances
The West Indies tour was a great success for Hawke. He took 24 wickets in the Test series. In one match, he took 10 wickets for 115 runs. He also scored his highest Test score, an unbeaten 45 runs.
Back in Australia, Hawke was the best wicket-taker in the 1965–66 Ashes series. He took 16 wickets. In one match in Sydney, he took 7 wickets for 105 runs. This was his best bowling performance in Test matches.
Later Cricket Years
In 1966, Hawke had a shoulder injury from football. This injury affected his bowling in cricket. Even so, he continued to play for Australia. He played against South Africa, Pakistan, and India. He also toured South Africa and England.
His last Test match was in England in 1968 at Lord's. He finished his Test career with 27 matches. He scored 365 runs and took 91 wickets. His former captain, Richie Benaud, called him one of the best medium-pace bowlers he had ever seen.
After his international career, Hawke played in the Lancashire League in England. He also became a coach in Launceston, Tasmania. Later, he worked as a sports journalist and cricket commentator.
Australian Rules Football
Neil Hawke also had an amazing career in Australian rules football.
Early Football Career
He started playing senior Australian rules football in August 1957. He played for Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). In only his third game, he kicked an amazing 15 goals.
He then moved to Western Australia. There, he played for East Perth Football Club from 1958 to 1959. He played 42 matches and kicked 157 goals. He helped East Perth win two championships in 1958 and 1959. In 1959, he was the top goal-kicker in the league with 114 goals.
Football Innovations
Hawke also represented Western Australia in football. He became famous for improving the "drop punt" kick. Before him, this kick was only used for short distances. But Hawke found a way to use it for long distances. This changed how the game was played in Western Australia.
He continued to play both football and cricket at a high level. In 1963, he was part of the South Australian football team that beat Victoria. This was a big win, as South Australia had not won at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1926. Neil Hawke is the only person to have played for both South Australia and Western Australia in both Australian Rules football and cricket.
Later Life
In his later years, Neil Hawke faced many health challenges. Despite these difficulties, he found strength and became a Christian.
He passed away in Adelaide on Christmas Day, 2000, at the age of 61. Many people from the sports world shared their sadness. Australian cricket players wore black armbands during a Test match to honor him. The South Australian Government created the Neil Hawke Scholarship to help young sportspeople. Many people remembered him as one of South Australia's greatest all-round sportsmen.
