The sudden and unexpected passing of Bill Duncan on 10 August 2008 at the age of 74 came as a shock to the Canterbury cricket community and was a huge loss. Bill was the ultimate cricket enthusiast and made an outstanding contribution to the game in Canterbury. He had a lifetime involvement, playing, coaching, selecting and administering the game. He was a legend to the many young players he coached and mentored over many years and loved to watch their development. He made a major contribution to the CJCA and the East Christchurch Shirley Cricket Club.
Bill was a very competitive cricketer in his playing days. As a teacher he moved around and played some representative games for Northland – now Northern Districts. On returning to Christchurch, he played about 20 seasons for the HSOB senior team, mainly under the captaincy of Walter Hadlee who had a great influence on his approach to and thinking about the game.
He was principally a left arm medium swing bowler but could swing a bat and enjoyed a good measure of success.
He linked up with the East Christchurch Shirley Cricket Club in the early 1980’s, saw a need and quickly became involved with junior development. The rest is history! This involvement continued right up to the end and also extended into the senior ranks. Bill was a tireless coach and administrator. He was also an innovator, keen to test new ideas on how the game and individuals could be improved.
A natural progression was the CJCA where he served for 16 years, selecting, coaching and managing countless junior teams. He had an eye for talent and was keen to see it develop.
It is unlikely Bill had any idea of the impact he would make when he began and it is impossible to do justice to his outstanding contribution to cricket in Canterbury. His efforts were recognised by the NZ Cricket Council in 2000 when he was awarded the prestigious Jack Newman Award. The citation read: “To an outstanding contributor to the world of Junior Cricket in NZ”. Bill was a worthy recipient.
Bill was an early member of The Willows and an enthusiastic supporter of the Club’s main objective to encourage and develop young cricketers, particularly at secondary school level. It was something very dear to his heart. But he also had other interests and was a life member of both the NZ Gymnastics Association and the Canterbury Gymnastics Association, having been President of the latter for a number of years.
Bill had a great love for cricket and cricketers. Sadly, his familiar figure and faded red hat will no longer be seen around the grounds. Nor will we hear that booming voice and hearty laugh. His enthusiasm, energy and passion for the game we all love will be missed but we can give thanks for the challenges he set and the enjoyment we have experienced from his efforts. Our sympathy was conveyed to Sally and family at the time of his passing.