Philip Monk
Personal information
Full name
Philip George Monk
Born(1907-08-23)23 August 1907
Auckland, New Zealand
Died17 October 1993(1993-10-17) (aged 86)
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1928/29–1929/30Otago
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 17 May 2016

Philip George Monk (23 August 1907 – 17 October 1993) was a New Zealand soldier cricketer. He played five first-class matches for Otago during the 1928–29 and 1929–30 seasons[1] and served in both World War II and the Korean War.

Early life and cricket

Monk was born at Auckland in 1907 and educated at Mount Albert Grammar School in the city.[2][3][4] He played cricket at school and in Auckland for North Shore Cricket Club, and the Otago Daily Times wrote in 1929 that he had "put up some excellent performances when playing for the school eleven". The paper went on state that "when he left school he had the finest action of any fast bowler in Auckland, whipping the ball down from his full height", although the paper's cricket writer was of the opinion that his performances in Auckland had been "somewhat erratic" in nature.[4]

Monk enlisted in the New Zealand Army and was stationed at Dunedin in Otago during the late 1920s. With the rank of corporal he acted as an instructor for the Otago Boys' High School cadet force in 1930.[5] Whilst stationed in Otago he played cricket for Dunedin Cricket Club, and was described as "one of the most popular cricketers" in the city.[6] He led the club's batting averages during the 1928–29 season, scoring two centuries and "frequently delighted the spectators with exhibitions of hard hitting".[7]

It was primarily as a batmsan[4] that Monk made his representative debut for Otago in a December 1928 match against Wellington at the Basin Reserve, making scores of 25 and 31 runs and taking a single wicket opening the bowling. He went on to play in both of Otago's other Plunket Shield matches during the 1928–29 season.[8] The following season, Monk played for Otago against the touring England Test side and made a final Shield appearance against Canterbury at the end of the season. In his five first-class matches he scored a total of 157 runs and took six wickets.[8]

Wartime military career

In late 1930 Monk was transferred to Wellington,[9] and although he played for Hutt Cricket Club he did not play any further top-class matches.[10] By 1937 he was serving as a staff sergeant at Christchurch when he received a commission as a lieutenant.[11][12] He transferred back to Wellington the following year and spent some time as an instructor in the New Zealand Staff Corps at Featherston.[13][14] In early 1939 he was attached to the 2nd Field Company of Engineers,[15] and served in Europe with the 22nd battalion as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at the start of World War II. He played some cricket in England during 1940,[8] and was promoted to the rank of captain, serving as part of the 2nd New Zealand Division during the German invasion of Greece, Battle of Crete and in the Middle East during 1941 and 1942.[16] He returned to New Zealand during 1942 where he served at Army Headquarters.[16] Towards the end of the war he served with the rank of temporary major.[17]

Post-war career

After the war Monk served on the management committee of the Hutt Valley Cricket Association,[18] and by 1950 had been promoted to the rank of major, serving as the officer in charge of movements and quartering at Army Headquarters in Wellington.[19] He was deputy-assistant quartermaster general at Wellington in 1951[20] and during the Korean War served in Japan with Kayforce as the force's quartermaster general, returning to New Zealand in 1954 to serve at the Southern Military Headquarters.[21][22]

Monk was married and had two children, twins born in 1939.[23] He died at Christchurch in 1993 at the age of 86.[1] An obituary was published in the 1995 edition of the 'New Zealand Cricket Almanack.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Philip Monk, CricInfo. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 McCarron A (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 94. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. ISBN 978 1 905138 98 2 (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.)
  3. ↑ Cricket notes, New Zealand Herald, volume LXVI, issue 20441, 18 December 1929, p. 21. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  4. 1 2 3 Cricket, Otago Daily Times, issue 20606, 3 January 1929, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  5. ↑ Naval and military notes, Otago Daily Times, issue 21037, 28 May 1930, p. 2. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  6. ↑ Cricket, Evening Star, issue 20303, 11 October 1929, p. 14. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  7. ↑ The cricket critic, The Sun]], volume III, issue 628, 3 April 1929, p. 13. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  8. 1 2 3 Philip Monk, CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2023. (subscription required)
  9. ↑ Short runs and byes, The Star, issue 19233, 21 November 1930, p. 9. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  10. ↑ Cricket, Evening Star, issue 20671, 19 December 1930, p. 14. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  11. ↑ Military appointments, Evening Star, issue 22836, 20 December 1937, p. 2. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  12. ↑ Social and personal, Evening Star, issue 22863, 22 January 1938, p. 23. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  13. ↑ Arms useless on a wet day, The Evening Post, volume CXXV, issue 105, 6 May 1938, p. 14. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  14. ↑ Army examinations, The Evening Post, volume CXXVI, issue 47, 24 August 1938, p. 7. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  15. ↑ Engineers' camp, The Evening Post, volume CXXVII, issue 125, 30 May 1939, p. 4. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  16. 1 2 Personal, Evening Star, issue 24084, 3 January 1942, p. 6. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  17. ↑ Philip George Monk, Online Cenotaph, Auckland Museum. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  18. ↑ Hutt Valley Cricket, Hutt News, volume 20, issue 15, 11 September 1946, p. 5. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  19. ↑ In top class, Otago Daily Times, issue 27428, 29 June 1950, p. 6. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  20. ↑ Personal items, The Press, volume LXXXVII, issue 26506, 22 August 1951, p. 6. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  21. ↑ New commander of K Force, The Press, volume LXXXIX, issue 27199, 17 November 1953, p. 13. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  22. ↑ Army appointments announced, The Press, volume XC, issue 27375, 14 June 1954, p. 10. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
  23. ↑ Births, The Evening Post, volume CXXVIII, issue 89, 12 October 1939, p. 1. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 25 November 2023.)
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