Former New Zealand test cricketer Bruce Murray dies

Bruce Murray, former New Zealand test cricketer and grandfather of White Ferns Melie and Jess Kerr, has died. He was 82.

Murray’s life was one of service; to the game, education, church, publishing and his family.

The unflappable opening batter, who had dreamed of representing New Zealand since childhood, made 598 test runs, appearing 13 times between 1968 and 1971, and was part of the first ever New Zealand team to win a test series in 1969 in Pakistan.

He’s also only one of three international cricketers to take a wicket and not concede any runs, when he bowled an over against India the third test in Wellington in 1968, dismissing opener Syed Abid Ali.

Wearing the Silver Fern changed him, he told Stuff in March 2022. “I had a terrific sense of the privilege of wearing a blazer with a Silver Fern on it … it was a lovely thing to be able to wear it, and I was thankful I was able to wear it. And seeing what you hope for come to be, made me thankful more than proud.

“We had an enormous sense of relief and pleasure in having won [the test series]… I enjoyed it immensely.”

Domestically, Murray debuted for Wellington in 1958 aged 18, and went on to be leading run scorer in the Plunket Shield for the 1969-70 season scoring 430 runs from four matches. His highest first class score was 213 against Otago during the 68/69 season.

After playing, he turned his attention to administration, including a stint as president of Wellington Cricket between 2004 and 2008, and would play “host” to visiting dignitaries for tests at the Basin Reserve. Cricket Wellington has a medal named after him, awarded for fair play in men’s club cricket.

Born in Johnsonville, Murray spent the majority of his life residing in Tawa following his marriage to wife Shona, whom he met at a bible class camp in Carterton in 1959. Once he saw her, “I was a goner! That was the girl for me,” he smiled during the 2022 interview.

The family had to rent their home out in 1969 while he toured with the New Zealand team, so they could afford to pay the mortgage. “When I came from that tour, the next day I was back to school and back to rep practice on a Tuesday and Thursday night at the Basin,” he said.

He spent his life in schools, having trained as a geography teacher, beginning his career at Hutt Valley High School, then at Tawa College, becoming head of social studies. In 1977 he became deputy principal of Naenae College, and three years later was appointed principal.

There, he was part of a committee that was instrumental in establishing a marae on school property, one of the first marae at a school in the Wellington region. He returned to Tawa College as principal in 1989 and retired from the profession in 2002.

In later life Murray was a prolific book writer and part of the Tawa Historical Society, and was appointed a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order for public service in 2002.

Murray was a dedicated family man and he delighted in watching his grandchildren playing cricket in a cul-de-sac (he was the designated umpire) and later supporting Jess and Melie at the Cricket World Cup in 2022.

“The thing I’m most pleased about with both of the girls, is not their cricketing ability. The best thing about them is they are lovely kids. They are decent. They think about others. They have their own minds, and they are just very lovely girls. After all that’s what you want.”

He was also a dedicated man of god. One of his favourite bible passages was printed on a box gifted to him by his 11 grandchildren for his 80th birthday reading “the lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places and we have a goodly heritage”.

Another saying he lived his life by was “it came, to pass”, something he said often to his children and grandchildren when times were difficult.

“Life will never be a bed of roses and … you’ve got to think about what you’re going to do when times are tough,” he said.

“[But] it came, to pass.”

Murray was survived by wife Shona, four children and 11 grandchildren, known as “Poppa’s First XI”.