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Looking back on John Gilbert

The start of a new year is a time for quiet reflection on the friends who are no longer with us. John Gilbert, who passed away during 2017, had an absolute passion for the game of cricket and made a multitude of mates and friends both on and off the field during his time on earth.

Bay of Plenty cricket legend Michael John Edward Wright struck up a friendship with John in the 1960’s that endured to the day that John passed away. “I first met John at Mount Maunganui College in the mid 1960’s where we were both rather reluctant students but sports mad. John had a passion for all sports way back then so we became firm friends. We shared a love of many sports and were together involved in rugby, cricket, tennis, basketball, golf, surfing and anything else that required a bat, ball or water.

“We had a bunch of mates that had a similar love of sport and for our group it was all about participating, enjoyment, one hundred per cent effort and fairness….which looking back was a mantra for John and how he lived his life”.

“Johns, Mum and Dad lived on Mount Maunganui’s Ocean Beach Road, right on the beach. Their house became a focal point in the lives of our group of mates. There were many surfboards stashed away under the Gilbert family home.  When the surf was running we all descended on their place after school, or occasionally instead of school, to grab a board and scoot over the sandhills for a surf”.

“If the surf wasn’t running, or it was too wet or dark to be playing sport, out would come the cards and hours of ferocious games of 500 or euchre would ensue. This is really when no prisoners were taken. Having survived those epic card days and nights with John’s parents and our mates, set John and I, up for anything life could throw at us”.

“John had a huge passion for rugby passed down by his Temuka born Dad, and was a talented and heady player. Playing at fullback he had an ability to read and direct a game. He could kick the ball a mile and was an outstanding goal kicker”.

“In 1973, I had the opportunity to travel to England to play cricket. I kept in touch with John and in one of the letters he wrote me (no email then), he announced that he was coming to the UK to join me. I never thought that a stay at home lad like John, who had hardly travelled outside of Tauranga, would make it to the other side of the world. I was totally amazed when a knock on the door of our London flat, turned out to be John announcing that he was here to save English cricket.

“I introduced John to the lads at Roehampton Cricket Club, thinking that he would maybe last the summer then head back to the comforts of home in New Zealand”. “Well, John stayed in England for nearly 10 years, meeting the love of his life Bridget and became a legend at Roehampton CC.

Founded in 1842, Roehampton Cricket Club is located on picturesque Putney Heath in South West London. For many years Pudney Heath was a noted rendezvous for highwaymen. Dick Turpin was one who stashed his guns inside the Green Man Pub. Numerous duels took place on Pudney Heath including one between cabinet ministers Lord Castlereagh and George Canning in 1809.

The Roehampton Cricket Club felled trees on the heath in 1842 to create London’s second oldest cricket club.

 

    Cricket on Pudney Heath circa 1947

 

 

 

“I was back in the UK in 2016 and met up with some old Roehampton CC team mates from back in the 1970’s and we spent a very long lunch telling John Gilbert cricketing stories. As with anyone John met and shared his passion for sport with, he was impossible to forget”.

“When John returned home to New Zealand, he threw himself into local club and Bay of Plenty cricket. He was always excited about young players that he was coaching and mentoring, convinced that they were all Black Cap prospects. I remember his excitement when he first saw a young Daniel Flynn. I tell you now he would say…that Daniel Flynn will go all the way!!    I think Daniel was about 4 years old at the time”.

“John was like that with everyone. Encouraging and badgering them to reach their full potential. His shrewd eye for a player and what that player may become with good guidance soon had John selecting Bay of Plenty Cricket sides where he had unprecedented success”. Under Johns guidance won the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl and the  coveted Hawke Cup.

“Even with Northern Districts where he rose to become convenor of selectors, he still felt his main mission was to encourage players to fulfil their potential. Players like David White (current CEO of NZ Cricket) and Simon Doull owe a lot to John for his loyalty, when others may not have been so generous”.

“John never sought the limelight and was rather miffed if anyone thanked him for his time or encouragement. A great family man who despite a huge amount of time given to others, still put Bridget and their three girls, the love’s of his life, first”.

“John is a reminder to us all of a simpler time when life was all about family and friends first and caring about other people as well”.

Tony Wilson was a long-time captain of the Albion premiere team and played alongside John when he returned to New Zealand and tells us more about John Gilbert – the cricket player.

John Gilbert played for Mount Maunganui in the late 1960’s before moving to Albion in the early 70’s, when the Mount no longer had a premier team. John played for the Albion First XI in the 1980/81, 19981/82, and 1982/83 seasons before taking up the post of Bay of Plenty Cricket convenor of selectors...

“Johnny G re-appeared for Albion in November 1980, after returning home from the UK. His first match was against Te Puke with JG returning match figures of 33 overs - 14 maidens – 12 wickets for 52 runs. Not a bad start by anyone’s standards – Needless to say Albion posted an outright victory”.

 “JG was fiercely competitive, he played hard but fair and was fully aware at the end of the day both teams gave up their time for the love of the game. Come end of days play “weapons down” – John was very social”.

“Johnny G was a very talented new ball bowler, he got the ball through at a reasonable clip and had the ability to get lift with his deliveries from a good length. If JG couldn’t get a batsman out with his skill he could usually talk them out”.

“He was a lionhearted bowler and it was hard to get the ball off him with his philosophy being - one more skip”. John would regularly bowl 20 overs on the trot and on numerous occasions took five wicket bags in an innings”. “One feat that remains in my memory is John took three wickets from his first four balls against a strong Greerton line-up”.

“Johnny G was a confirmed number 11 batsman although by no means a bunny. Testament to this was a winning 32 run 1th wicket partnership with Rod Hill, against a Cadets attack headed by former Canterbury and ND pace bowler Bill Aldridge”.

“On another occasion JG came into bat with Albion needing 46 runs off five overs against a Greerton attack headed by ND pace bowler  Peter Anderson (Good enough to bowl seven 8 ball overs against England in 1978). With the light fading and the last pair at the wicket it made sense to start packing up as the game was over”. “Beyond belief JG and John Paine won the match for Albion with balls to spare”.

“John was a solid fieldsman at his customary  fine leg or backward square. However on occasions it was difficult for the skipper to attract his attention as he usually struck up a conversation with whoever happened to be walking around the boundary”. 

In 1984 John earned promotion as convenor of selector’s, of the Bay of Plenty Senior Men’s representative team, after previously being involved with the Bay of Plenty Colts sides. Over the next five years that John Gilbert chaired the selection panel, the Bay of Plenty senior men's side enjoyed a golden era, winning the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl on two occasions and bringing the Hawke Cup to the Bay of Plenty for the first time.

Back to back Fergus Hickey Rosebowls in the 1985/86 and 1986/87 seasons, were just the second and third occasions, that Bay of Plenty had annexed the symbol of ND representative superiority since the Bay's first victory in 1980. 

John was extremely proud of being part of the management team that won the New Zealand Cricket minor association prize of the Hawke Cup for the first time. After relieving long time rivals Hawkes Bay of the Hawke Cup in 1986, they defended the NZ Cricket trophy against Central Otago, before a roller coaster ride the following year.

A successful defence against Horowhenua opened the 1987 Hawke Cup year. Defeat against Hawkes Bay, saw the anomalies of the competition rules, result in Bay of Plenty having the next challenge and returning the prestigious trophy to the Bay. The final Hawke Cup Direct Challenge of the year resulted in Southland taking the Hawke Cup home to the Deep South of the country.

During John’s tenure as convenor of selectors, a veritable who's who of ND players made their Bay of Plenty senior men's team debuts. The list included Bruce Blair, David White and Mathew Hart who would go on to represent New Zealand. Other notable Bay of Plenty players of the future included Murray McKinnon, Fraser Lellman, Grant McKenzie, Kyle Wealleans and Grant Manners, while English professionals in Mathew Maynard and John Derrick also made their Bay of Plenty debut on Johns Gilbert's watch.

From Everest to Vettori which is the story of Northern Districts Cricket first fifty years tells the tale of John Gilbert’s appointment as ND convenor of selectors.

“Those not up with the play could have been excused for thinking it was a Tauranga takeover when Northern Districts began the 1989/90 season, with the new chairman and a new selection convenor, both from the rapidly growing Bay of Plenty city being appointed”. 

Tauranga chemist Michael Sandlant became the first non-Hamilton resident elected to fill the Chairmanship role. 

“The new Shell series selection panel conveyor in the place of the unavailable Bruce Pairaudeau was John Gilbert, a Tauranga newspaper computer setting operator, who confessed he felt cheated if he hadn't found time for a daily swim, had enjoyed his stints as an opening bowler for the Mount and Albion clubs in Tauranga. In the late 1970's he began selecting the Tauranga Colts and then in the mid 1980's became Bay of Plenty senior selector”.

In the five years that he had the job his side won the U-Bix (Hawke Cup) Trophy twice. He had given himself a 50-50 chance of being appointed. "I had thought about the ND job. It seemed a natural strep. I'm fairly ambitious". He soon made it known that he wanted players who were available for everything. "They have to be available for them all. They have to want to play for ND. It’s no good just turning up - we want players who will give for ND".  

 

Photograph courtesy of Northern Districts Cricket

We will leave the last word to Johnny G’s team mate in the 1980’s, Tony Wilson. “JG would source opinions from a range of people to help with his selections. There wasn’t much he didn’t know about bowling and he had the appropriate connections to assist with any skills he needed help with. JG was big on players having the right attitude and prepared to give 110 per cent and then some, for the team”.