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Ewen Chatfield almost died at the crease in his first Test match. He
swallowed his tongue and stopped breathing after being hit by a short
ball from England opening bowler Peter Lever. He had to be given the
kiss of life and did not regain conciousness until he was in hospital.
England skipper Mike Denness saw it all from gully. "By the time I'd
picked the ball up he'd taken two or three steps and given the old
boxer's wobble and down he went, " he recalled. This was in the days
before helmets. The ball hit him on the temple. "It did not knock me out
straight away. I remember walking to the side and feeling dizzy and
away I went, " said Chatfield.
Most people would have been put off
cricket. Chatfield spent the next 15 years fighting to establish himself
as first choice with his tight line and length medium-fast bowling. He
was a major foil to Sir Richard Hadlee in many of New Zealand's
successes of the 1980s. Chatfield played in the 1979 World Cup,
appearing in one match against India and playing in all his country's
World Cup matches in 1983. The same year he took 5-95 against England at
Headingley.
Other big days were when he took 5-63 against Sri Lanka in
Colombo, 6-73 against West Indies in Trinidad and 4-30 when he and
Hadlee bowled West Indies out for 100 in Christchurch in 1986-87. He
took four wickets in each of three innings when England toured New
Zealand in 1987-88. During the World Cup of 1987 in India and Pakistan
he was given the new ball in every match. (Bob Harragan)
Ewen Chatfield also played 114 One Day Internationals for New Zealand
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