Dan McBeath

Daniel Jason McBeath (8 April 1897 – 13 April 1963) was a New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1917 to 1927.

Dan McBeath

Personal information
Full name	Daniel Jason McBeath
Born	8 April 1897 Malvern, Canterbury, New Zealand
Died	13 April 1963 (aged 66) Timaru, New Zealand
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Left-arm medium pace
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1917-18, 1922-23	Otago
1918-19, 1921-22, 1923-24 to 1926-27	Canterbury
1919-20 to 1920-21	Southland
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 32 Runs scored 346 Batting average 10.17 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 35 Balls bowled 8062 Wickets 170 Bowling average 20.83 5 wickets in innings 15 10 wickets in match 3 Best bowling 9/56 Catches/stumpings 19/0
Source: Cricket Archive, 3 May 2014

Otago and Canterbury, 1917-18 and 1918-19

After service overseas with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion in World War I,[1] Dan McBeath made his first-class debut on Christmas Day 1917 for Otago against Canterbury, opening the bowling and taking 6 for 52 and 3 for 50.[2]

Transferring to Canterbury in 1918-19, he was the leading wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield, taking 25 wickets at an average of 17.68.[3] In the match against Auckland he took 15 wickets: 9 for 56 (eight of them were bowled; he bowled unchanged through the innings, and would have taken the tenth wicket but for a dropped catch)[4] and 6 for 112.[5] Canterbury won the Plunket Shield.

Southland, 1919-20 and 1920-21

In 1919-20 and 1920-21 McBeath played four matches for Southland, taking 35 wickets at an average of 8.45. He took 7 for 59 when Southland lost by an innings to Otago in 1919-20,[6] and made 32 and 28 not out as well as taking 7 for 66 and 4 for 28 (bowling unchanged in each innings) in the return match to give Southland their only first-class victory.[7]

The next season, he took 8 for 84 and 5 for 8 against Canterbury,[8] and 4 for 51 in a rain-ruined match against the touring Australians. He was selected for both matches New Zealand played against Australia at the end of the season, and took six wickets. At the end of the tour the Australian manager, Thomas Howard, said McBeath was the best bowler the Australians had faced in New Zealand.[9]

At this stage in his career he had played 11 first-class matches and taken 81 wickets for 1133 runs at an average of 13.98.[10]

Canterbury and Otago, 1921-22 and 1922-23

Playing for Canterbury in 1921-22 he took 8 for 96 against Auckland.[11] He took 12 wickets in two matches for Otago in the Plunket Shield in 1922-23, and played in the third of three matches New Zealand played against the MCC, taking three wickets.[12]

Canterbury, 1923-24 to 1926-27

Returning to Canterbury in 1923-24, McBeath took 17 wickets in the Plunket Shield.[13] He played both matches for New Zealand against New South Wales, taking seven wickets.[14][15]

He took 14 wickets at 15.78 in the Plunket Shield in 1924-25,[16] including 6 for 32 against Otago.[17] He played in both matches New Zealand played against the touring Victorian team, taking 5 for 89 in the first innings in Wellington.[18]

He toured Australia with the New Zealand team in 1925-26, playing in two of the state matches, with moderate success. His last first-class match came when he was still only 29, in 1926-27, when he took four wickets for Canterbury against Wellington.[19]

See also

• List of Otago representative cricketers

References

1. Cenotaph record, Daniel Jason McBeath
2. Canterbury v Otago 1917-18
3. Plunket Shield bowling 1918-19
4. Auckland Star, 24 February 1919, p. 7.
5. Canterbury v Auckland 1918-19
6. Otago v Southland 1919-20
7. Southland v Otago 1919-20
8. Southland v Canterbury 1920-21
9. "Manager Howard Interviewed". Evening Star: 8. 5 April 1921.
10. Dan McBeath bowling by season
11. Auckland v Canterbury 1921-22
12. New Zealand v MCC, Wellington 1922-23
13. Plunket Shield bowling 1923-24
14. New Zealand v New South Wales, Christchurch 1923-24
15. New Zealand v New South Wales, Wellington 1923-24
16. Plunket Shield bowling 1924-25
17. Otago v Canterbury 1924-25
18. New Zealand v Victoria, Wellington 1924-25
19. Canterbury v Wellington 1926-27

External links

• Dan McBeath at ESPNcricinfo
• Dan McBeath at CricketArchive (subscription required)