Sir Richard Hadlee

One of cricket's undisputed legends, Sir Richard Hadlee made his first class debut in 1971 replacing his injured brother Dale, and quickly stamped his mark with a hat trick against Central Districts. The following season he made his test debut against Pakistan and in 1973 he took 7 wickets at Christchurch as New Zealand achieved their first test win over Australia.

A left-hand batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, Richard Hadlee obtained a regular place in the New Zealand team in 1975-76 when he bowled New Zealand to victory over India at Wellington taking 7-23 in their second innings. This was the first of 9 occasions Richard was to take 10 or more wickets.
In an illustrious career that included a record 86 tests for New Zealand, Richard Hadlee scored 3124 runs (27.16) and took 431 wickets (22.29). He also played 115 one-day internationals scoring 1751 runs (21.61) and took a New Zealand record 158 wickets (21.56).
Richard's best performances include taking 9-52 against Australia in 1985/6. He is the holder of the Windsor Cup for the most meritorious bowling performance by a New Zealand bowler on 13 occasions and in 1981 was awarded an MBE for Services to New Zealand cricket. In 1991 Richard received his highest accolade when he was awarded a Knighthood for his services to cricket.
Richard Hadlee was awarded the M.B.E. for services to New Zealand sport in 1981 and a Knighthood for services to cricket in 1990. Richard is a NZ cricket selector and has written several anecdote cricket books including Soft Deliveries, Hard Knocks, Caught Out, 'Howzat - tales from the boundary' and an information book called Hadlee on Cricket - the essentials of the game.
An articulate, entertaining and motivational speaker, Richard Hadlee is currently the Ambassador for the Bank of New Zealand.
Sir Richard Hadlee lives by his motto in life - "A quitter never wins and a winner never quits". He is a firm believer that you should always give it a go. You will never know until you have tried and given it your best.