Northern Districts' 1979/80 team having reunion during second Test

One of Northern Districts' most successful teams in 1979/80 is holding a reunion during the New Zealand-India Test in Hamilton starting on December 19.

The return of John Wright as coach of the Indian team has been seen as the perfect occasion to get as many players together as is possible.

Northern Districts completed the double in that summer winning both the Shell Trophy and the Shell Cup.

The team was: Cliff Dickeson, Bill Fowler, Stu Gillespie, Grant Gibson, Rod Griffiths, Geoff Howarth, Chris Kuggeleijn, John Parker, Andy Roberts, Steve Scott, Karl Treiber, David White, John Wright, and Mike Wright.

Seven of the side represented New Zealand at one stage or another. Roberts, now deceased, was named the New Zealand Cricket Almanack's batsman of the year for that season while left-arm spinner Dickeson was the Almanack's bowler of the year. It is likely Dickeson probably remembers hitting the winning runs of the Shell Cup final more than anything else that summer.

ND had been denied home hosting rights for the match when the New Zealand Cricket Council ruled that the game should be played in Dunedin.

The selectors of the side were all long-serving Northern Districts' identities, Ian Leggat, Basil McBurney and John Guy.