Tom Burtt

Thomas Browning Burtt (22 January 1915 – 24 May 1988) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in ten Tests from 1947 to 1953.

Domestic career In his last first-class match, for Canterbury against the MCC in 1954–55, he hit 24 off one over from Johnny Wardle.

In first-class cricket, he played 84 games, mostly for Canterbury, between 1943 and 1955, taking 408 wickets at 22.19. His brother Noel also played for Canterbury, as did his nephew Wayne Burtt and great-nephew Leighton Burtt.

In 1937 and 1938 he also represented New Zealand at hockey. He was overlooked for the next season's tour of South Africa, the inexperienced spinners Eric Dempster, Matt Poore and Bill Bell going instead, and did not play another Test.

His 128 first-class wickets taken on the 1949 tour of England is a record for New Zealand. In Wisden, Charles Bray said of him, "The bulk of the bowling fell on the tubby, cheerful T.B. Burtt, slow left-arm, immaculate length, good flight, who attacked the off-stump so accurately that he constantly tied down the opposing batsmen."

Outside cricket Burtt worked as a company manager for Lace Webb Textiles.

At the 1956 local elections he was elected a member of the Christchurch City Council on the Citizens' Association ticket. He served for one term, not standing for re-election.

He died in 1988.