Nessie Snedden

Andrew Nesbit Colin "Nessie" Snedden (3 April 1892 – 27 September 1968) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Auckland between 1909 and 1928,^[1][2] and captained New Zealand in the days before New Zealand played Test cricket.^[1]

Nessie Snedden

Snedden in 1931
Personal information
Full name	Andrew Nesbit Colin Snedden
Born	(1892-04-03)3 April 1892 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	27 September 1968(1968-09-27) (aged 76) Auckland, New Zealand
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	All-rounder
Relations	Colin Snedden (son) Warwick Snedden (son) Martin Snedden (grandson) Alice Snedden (great-granddaughter) Michael Snedden (great-grandson) Cyril Snedden (brother) Owen Snedden (brother) Stanley Snedden (cousin)
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1909/10–1927/28	Auckland
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 49 Runs scored 2,492 Batting average 30.02 100s/50s 2/14 Top score 139 Balls bowled 4,857 Wickets 95 Bowling average 26.33 5 wickets in innings 4 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 5/13 Catches/stumpings 20/–
Source: Cricinfo, 26 June 2018

Cricket career

At the time of his first-class debut at the age of 17 in December 1909, Snedden was the youngest player to represent Auckland.^[3] His highest first-class score was 139, which he made when captaining Auckland against Hawke's Bay in 1920–21; in the same match he also took 5 for 13 (his best bowling figures) and 2 for 21, and Auckland won by an innings and 354 runs.^[4] He scored his other first-class century against Otago in 1925–26, when Auckland needed 271 for victory and he scored 131 not out, making the winning hit with a four to take Auckland to victory by five wickets.^[5]

Snedden toured Australia with the New Zealand team in 1913-14. He was the last player to dismiss Victor Trumper in first-class cricket: leg before wicket for 81 in Australia's victory over New Zealand at Eden Park on 28 March 1914.^[6]

He captained Auckland from 1919–20 to 1923–24, and captained New Zealand in two matches against the touring MCC team in 1922-23. For most of the period between 1922 and 1937 he was a national selector.^[1]

Personal life

Snedden was born in Auckland and educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland. He became a law clerk, then a solicitor, taking a partnership in the Auckland firm of Wake, Anderson and Snedden in 1919.^[7] He married Alice McDonnell in Auckland in April 1917.^[8] He served overseas with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War I as a lieutenant.^[9] Wake, Anderson and Snedden was dissolved in 1925 and he continued in the partnership Anderson and Snedden.^[10]

His son Colin Snedden and grandson Martin Snedden played Test cricket for New Zealand. His brother Cyril and another son, Warwick, also played first-class cricket in New Zealand, as has Martin's son Michael Snedden. Cyril was also President of the New Zealand Rugby League.^[11]