Richard King cricket match cancelled

In October I stated that A Tingling Catch would be on the prize list for the annual Writers v Publishers cricket match, played in memory of the late publisher Richard King and co-author of Men in White with Don Neely and Francis Payne. The game was scheduled for 13 March 2011 in Christchurch but because of the earthquake the game has been cancelled.

See my related October 2010 blog post 'Richard King Writers v Publishers cricket match'.

Don Neely in the New Years Honours list

In the New Years Honours list announced yesterday, I was pleased to see Don Neely's name. Don received the MNZM for services to cricket.
I'd like to congratulate Don on his latest achievement. Don had previously received an MBE.
In 2010, Don published an amazing cricket book, The First 50 Tests, to commemorate the first 50 Tests played at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. Financed largely by fund-raising, Don printed six thousand copies which were given away mostly to school cricket teams in Wellington and some around the country and to ticket holders at the Basin Test against Australia last March. Tim Jones reported being in a long queue at the Basin when he waited to pick up his copy.
The book is another of Don's extraordinary achievements for cricket in New Zealand. The Scoreboard at the Basin is named after him.
Don is a former Wellington captain and national selector and was the previous President of New Zealand Cricket.
In 1986, Don published his definitive history of New Zealand Test cricket, Men in White, co-authored with Richard King and statistician Francis Payne.
With his wife, Paddianne Neely, he co-authored, The Summer Game: An Illustrated History of New Zealand Cricket. His other work includes 100 Summers, a history of Wellington cricket, and editing the DB Cricket Annual series.
My own cricket anthology, A Tingling Catch, wouldn't have been possible without Don's involvement, including his foreword contribution and help with launching the book at the Basin Reserve Long Room last October.
Thanks Don for all you do for New Zealand cricket.

See my related blog post from last year 'A Tingling Catch launched at the Basin'

Richard King Writers v Publishers cricket match

One of the contributors to A Tingling Catch, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman informs me that the anthology will be on the prize list for the annual Richard King Writers v Publishers cricket match in the New Year. Richard King who died recently was an avid cricket lover and a well-known New Zealand publisher. He helped with Men in White, Don Neely's definitive history of New Zealand Test cricket, and is mentioned as one of its co-authors on the book jacket. We all owe Richard a debt of thanks for that, and for the many other books he helped bring into being. It's nice that A Tingling Catch will be on the prize list for this annual match. Thanks to Gillian Newman, Richard's partner, for thinking of the book. Jeffrey Paparoa Holman's new poetry book, Fly Boy, will be published soon by Steele Roberts Ltd in Wellington.