Bruce Alexander Grenfell Murray, cricketer, educator: b September 18, 1940; d January 10, 2023
Obituary: Bruce (Bag or Bags) Murray was among the last of New Zealand’s cricketing amateurs. In his time the game was moving towards becoming professional with the advent of one-day matches, particularly on a Sunday.
It became an increasing dilemma for Murray, who liked his Sundays to be devoted to church and family. He was first and foremost a husband, father and a teacher, and even given his love of the game, cricket’s intrusion on a Sunday left him having to make a decision.
He found in two other New Zealand cricketers, Bryan Yuile and Victor Pollard, players who felt much the same, and their stand against playing on a Sunday created quite a stir in the sport and religious circles at the time. It contributed to them eventually ending their test careers prematurely, a situation that no longer exists because players readily accept Sunday play is pivotal if they want to be a professional.
Despite there being matches that would involve Sunday play, the trio were still chosen for the five-month tour to England, India and Pakistan in 1969. The tour included nine tests, quite a marathon, especially for players with young families, and players were paid very little, even if it could be said to have been a trip of a lifetime.
READ MORE:
* Test cricketer Bruce Murray farewelled in style
* Former New Zealand test cricketer Bruce Murray dies
Murray’s wife Shona,, with their toddler Jo, moved in with family and friends so their house could be rented, and Shona could teach to pay the bills in her husband’s absence.
The tall, slim opening batsman was to excel, scoring 1441 runs over the tour at an average of 38.94, highlighted by an innings of 80 in the third test against India, and 90, his highest at this level, when New Zealand secured a first win over Pakistan in the second test, going on to win a series for the first time.
During the last test of the tour some spectators, unhappy with the state of the game, began throwing things on to the field. Murray, near the boundary, was hit by a banana, which he wanted to bring to the attention of the umpires. He ran in with the banana in his hand as New Zealand bowler Dayle Hadlee was about to bowl. As the batsman, Asif Iqbal, hit the ball in Murray’s direction, Murray dived to complete a remarkable catch, still holding the banana. However, with the ball declared dead, Murray’s catch did not stand.
Much as Murray enjoyed the tour, which he would lighten the mood with his clever prose and ditties, he felt it had made him feel more like a professional cricketer, where an individual’s performance was almost more valuable than striving for the team’s overall good, something he pondered over.
He shone in a three-match unofficial series against Australia in March 1970, and appeared in the first test against England the following summer in what was to be his 13th and last test, with Sunday play very much the norm now.
He carried on playing for Wellington till the 1972-73 season, before dropping out after 102 matches with 6257 runs, at a good first-class average of 35.55. The highest of his six centuries was 213 against Otago in Dunedin, when he and John Morrison added a record 246 for the third wicket.
Murray’s 74 in a partnership of 126 for the first wicket with Graham Dowling against India in Christchurch in 1968 set New Zealand on its first test win over that country. He was also an exceptional slip fielder.
Grahame Bilby, who opened the batting many times with Murray for Wellington in the 1960s, recalled Murray’s 213 against Otago. “He was a superstar that day. I was thoroughly chuffed for him. Bags had all the shots, he was so good off the front foot, and played with a lot of confidence.”
Yuile, who knew Murray as a good friend, team-mate and an opponent, playing for Central Districts and earlier Palmerston North Boys’ High against Hutt Valley High School, said of him: “I was very upset when I heard Bag had died. He was quiet, modest and had a big influence on the teams he was in. He was an upright, straightforward fella.
‘’As an opening batsman he was not so much worried about the speed of the bowlers, he was exceptional at judging the bounce and sideways movement. He had great skills as a slip catcher. I don’t think I ever saw him drop one.”
Yuile also recalled the song Murray made up which was a dig at the numerous Canterbury players in the New Zealand teams they played in, and how Canterbury was traditionally the centre of the game in this country.
Murray started life in the Hutt Valley, which included attending the Epuni Baptist Church with his family, and Hutt Valley High School, where he was the head boy and played for the cricket 1st XI and 1st XV.
Shona’s parents were missionaries in China, and she was born there on September 22, 1943, in the city of Xuchang. Her family moved to New Zealand, and they met at a Bible class camp. She was 15 and he 18, and they were to be very happily married for 58 years.
They had a deep sense of community and family, and serving others, and it was at Tawa College that their combined talents truly flourished, he as a geography teacher and principal. Shona became head of music.
Murray started his Bachelor of Arts degree at Victoria University, and completed it at Canterbury alongside a Diploma in Education, and also attended Teachers’ College in Christchurch. He went on to secure a Masters’ degree in geography – his thesis was the historical geography of the Porirua basin. He also had time to teach Bible class and sing in the choir at the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, and become a house tutor at St Andrew’s College.
Murray then taught at Tawa and Naenae Colleges, where he became principal in 1981. Among his achievements was to establish a marae there. He was back at Tawa from 1989 as principal, remaining there till his retirement in 2002.
Shona attended Wellington Teachers’ College before completing a Bachelor of Music in Performance Pipe Organ. She did further studies in piano through the Royal and Trinity Schools of Music in London. She was HOD Music at Tawa from 1982 till 2006, and for 10 years was chief moderator and examiner for School Certificate and University Bursary music.
It was no wonder then that she was the main organiser and driving force, behind the widely acclaimed Tawa schools and community music festivals from 1979, which included performances at the Michael Fowler Centre. And there were tours with the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir. Naturally Murray was hugely supportive.
He left teaching when he did to give himself more time to enjoy retirement.Much of it was spent continuing to serve others, including being president of Cricket Wellington from 2004 to 2008, being a relieving principal, on the board of the New Zealand Cricket Museum, and deacon at the Tawa Baptist Church.
He also wrote numerous books, mostly on geographic and historical subjects, and he had very much an open door to listen to and mentor people. In 2002, he was made a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order for public services.
Then, of course, there was his 11 grandchildren, appropriately dubbed “the 1st X1”. They brought him much joy, and were aged from 25 to 8 at his death, starting with New Zealand representative cricketers Jess and Amelia Kerr.
Murray had a reputation for never swearing, which would have been very difficult at times, especially around the blokey atmosphere of cricket dressing-rooms. It was said that the word he would use as a substitute was “flip”.
Given the lives their parents led, and the example they set, it is hardly surprising three of their four children, Susie, Charlotte and Duncan, became teachers. Jess is also a teacher, and Amelia a teacher aide. Eldest daughter Jo Murray is personal development manager at the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association.
In her tribute at the funeral at Tawa College on Tuesday, Charlotte included a couple of verses that seemed to sum up Murray. The first, which was up in Murray’s Tawa classroom, C8, read: “To whom much is given much will be expected”, and the second, “I believe in the infinite worth of every human being”, was, said Charlotte, the foundation of Murray’s teaching philosophy.
When Murray and Shona talked before his death from cancer at 82 there were to be no “goodbyes, but rather ‘good night, and see you in the morning’ ”.
© 2023 Stuff Limited
