Celebrating Sir Allan Wright
24 Mar 2021
In mid-December last year, Canterbury Country Cricket hosted a function to acknowledge the contribution Sir Allan Wright had made to the association since its inception in 1960.
Sir Allan was a member of the group who established the then North Canterbury Cricket Association, covering the area from north of the Rakaia River to Kaikoura, outside greater Christchurch. He went on to be involved as a player and administrator for more than 40 years. He captained the first representative side, leading the team to its first successful challenge for the Hawke Cup in 1967. The Hawke Cup is the premier challenge trophy for minor cricket associations in New Zealand.
He was also the first player to reach 1000 runs and 100 wickets for Canterbury Country. Over the years, he has held the positions of association selector, board member, chairperson and president. He is the present patron and a life member.
Sir Allan has also been involved in cricket administration at a national level. He was appointed to the then New Zealand Cricket Board in 1968, serving as a board member until 1990. He was president of New Zealand Cricket in 1993 and made a life member at the end of his term. He managed several New Zealand teams at home, and was appointed manager of the successful 1983 tour to England, where New Zealand secured its first test win on English soil. His nephew, John Wright, was a member of that team.
Sir Allan was knighted in 1982 for his services to agriculture. He had a successful business governance career from the 1980s through to the early 2000s and was the first chancellor of Lincoln University.
Now retired, he still lives on the family farm in Sheffield.
