Charlie Oliver

For the former Carlton footballer, see Charlie Oliver (Australian footballer).

Charlie Oliver

Full name	Charles Joshua Oliver
Date of birth	1 November 1905
Place of birth	Wanganui, New Zealand
Date of death	25 September 1977
Place of death	Brisbane, Australia
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	76 kg (170 lb)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Second five-eighth
Provincial/State sides
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
	Canterbury
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1929-1936	New Zealand	7	(6)

Charles Joshua Oliver (1 November 1905 – 25 September 1977) was a New Zealand rugby union international who also represented his country in first-class cricket.

Wanganui born Oliver played as a specialist right-handed batsman and from 35 first-class matches scored 1301 runs at 23.23, with a best of 91. He represented Canterbury in domestic cricket, having debuted for them in the 1923/24 Plunket Shield. In the 1925/26 season he was a member of the New Zealand side which toured Australia and he made half centuries against Victoria and South Australia.^[1] He also toured the British Isles in 1927 with the national side.^[2] He claimed the only wicket of his first-class career during this tour, that of Sussex bowler Reginald Hollingdale.

New Zealand didn't gain Test status in cricket until 1930 and by then he had decided to focus on his rugby, thus missing out on a chance to become a Test 'double international'.

Oliver's early rugby had been played with Merivale before he made his way into the Canterbury side. He toured Australia in 1929 and made his Test debut for the All Blacks in a match against Australia at Sydney, aged 23. For the 1935/36 tour of Great Britain, Oliver was vice-captain and appeared in four Tests. By the time he retired he had amassed seven Test caps and 33 All Black matches in all, for 58 points.^[3]

He spent the final years of his life in Australia and had a son-in-law, Dave Gillespie, who was also an All Black.

References

1. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Charlie Oliver". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/16/16510/First-Class_Matches.html. 
2. ^ "New Zealand in British Isles 1927". CricketArchive. http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/ENG/1927_ENG_New_Zealand_in_British_Isles_1927.html. 
3. ^ "Profile: Charles Oliver". All Blacks.com. http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/Profile.asp?ABID=674. 

External links

• Cricinfo: Charlie Oliver
• Scrum.com: Charles Oliver

Persondata
Name	Oliver, Charlie
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 November 1905
Place of birth	Wanganui, New Zealand
Date of death	25 September 1977
Place of death	Brisbane, Australia