Stewie Dempster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stewie Dempster

Dempster (right) with Curly Page in 1931
Personal information
Full name	Charles Stewart Dempster
Born	(1903-11-15)15 November 1903 Wellington, New Zealand
Died	14 February 1974(1974-02-14) (aged 70) Wellington, New Zealand
Nickname	Stewie
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm slow
International information
National side	New Zealand (1930–1933)
Test debut (cap 3)	10 January 1930 v England
Last Test	31 March 1933 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1921–22 to 1947–48	Wellington
1935 to 1939	Leicestershire
1946	Warwickshire
Career statistics
Competition Test FC Matches 10 184 Runs scored 723 12145 Batting average 65.72 44.98 100s/50s 2/5 35/55 Top score 136 212 Balls bowled 5 388 Wickets 0 8 Bowling average 0 37.50 5 wickets in innings 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 0–10 2–4 Catches/stumpings 2/0 94/2
Source: Cricinfo, 22 August 2008

Charles Stewart "Stewie" Dempster (born November 15, 1903 – died February 14, 1974) was a famous New Zealand cricket player and coach. He played for the New Zealand national team in Test matches. Stewie also played for several other teams, including Wellington, Scotland, Leicestershire, and Warwickshire.

Stewie Dempster's Early Life

Stewie Dempster was born in 1903 in Wellington, New Zealand. His parents, Charles and Eliza, were from Scotland. He grew up very close to the local cricket ground, the Basin Reserve.

Stewie loved cricket from a young age. His father encouraged him to score "hundreds" (100 runs or more in an innings). He would even give Stewie 5 shillings for each century he scored! In one amazing season, Stewie scored nine centuries in ten games. In the tenth game, he scored 99 runs. This made local cricket selectors notice his talent.

Playing Cricket in New Zealand

Stewie Dempster played his first "first-class" cricket match for Wellington in 1921. This was against Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.

In 1927, Stewie toured England with the New Zealand team. No Test matches were played on this tour. He was a surprising choice for the team, but he ended up being the best batter on the tour.

In 1929–30, a team from England called the MCC toured New Zealand. Stewie and his teammate John Mills made a New Zealand record. They scored 276 runs together for the first wicket. This record stood until 1972!

Stewie toured England again in 1931. He scored 120 runs in a Test match at Lord's. In 1932, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. This is a very special award in cricket. His last Test match was against England in 1932–33, where he scored 83 runs without being out.

Moving to England

Stewie Dempster moved to England in 1935. There, a rich businessman named Sir Julien Cahn hired him to play for his private cricket team. Stewie then became eligible to play for Leicestershire. He even became the team captain from 1936 to 1938.

He was able to play for the county team as an amateur player. This meant he didn't get paid directly for playing cricket. Instead, he worked for Sir Cahn as a manager in one of his furniture stores. In 1938, Stewie married Margaret Jowers, who was from Leicester.

After the War and Coaching Career

The C.S. Dempster gate at the Basin Reserve, Wellington.

After World War II ended, Stewie played a few games for Warwickshire in 1946. Then, he moved back to New Zealand to become a cricket coach. He was chosen to play for New Zealand in a Test match in 1947, but he had to pull out because of an eye injury. Stewie played his last game for Wellington in 1948.

Stewie Dempster holds an amazing record: he has the second-highest Test batting average in history for players who have played at least 10 innings. Only Sir Donald Bradman, one of the greatest cricketers ever, has a higher average!

After he stopped playing, Stewie became a very important coach in Wellington for many years. Some of his students became famous Test players, like Bruce Edgar and Ian Smith.

Statistics

• The column title Match refers to the Match Number of his Test career.

Images for kids

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  Dempster (right) with Curly Page in 1931

• 

  The C.S. Dempster gate at the Basin Reserve, Wellington.