John Burt (rugby union)

John Robert Burt (27 August 1874 – 16 January 1933) was a New Zealand rugby union player, cricketer and businessman. He played one match for the New Zealand national rugby union team, made three first-class appearances for the Otago cricket team, and was a branch manager of the engineering firm, A. & T. Burt Ltd, founded by his father.

John Burt

Birth name	John Robert Burt
Date of birth	(1874-08-27)27 August 1874
Place of birth	Dunedin, New Zealand
Date of death	16 January 1933(1933-01-16) (aged 58)
Place of death	Christchurch, New Zealand
School	Otago Boys' High School
University	Canterbury Agricultural College
Occupation(s)	Company manager
Rugby union career
Position(s) Loose forward All Black No. 81 Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1896–1901 Otago 11 () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1901 New Zealand 0 (0)
Cricket information
Role	Batsman
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1901–09	Otago
First-class debut	26 December 1901 Otago v Canterbury
Last First-class	5 January 1909 Otago v Hawke's Bay
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 3 Runs scored 72 Batting average 18.00 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 27 Catches/stumpings 2/0
Source: Cricket Archive

Early life and family

Burt was born in Dunedin on 27 August 1874,[1] the son of Janet Burt (née Crawford) and her husband Alexander Burt, one of the founders of the engineering firm A. & T. Burt Ltd.[2] Educated at Otago Boys' High School, he then studied at Canterbury Agricultural College and worked for a time in farming.[3] On 23 June 1910, Burt married Elizabeth Rutherford Snow at Outram.[4] They went on to have two daughters.[3]

Rugby union

A rugby union loose forward, Burt represented Otago at a provincial level, playing 11 matches for the side between 1896 and 1901. He played just one match for the New Zealand national side, against Wellington in 1901.[1]

Cricket

Burt made three first-class appearances for the Otago cricket team: two in the 1901-02 season and one in the 1908-09 season.[5] A batsman, Burt opened the innings for Otago twice in his four times at bat.[6][7][8] He scored 72 runs, with a high score of 27, at an average of 18.00, and took two catches.[9]

Business career

After leaving farming, Burt initially worked for A. & T. Burt in Dunedin. He was manager of the firm's Wellington branch from 1908 to 1912, and represented the company in London from 1912 to 1920. Returning to New Zealand, he was manager of A. & T. Burt's Christchurch branch until his retirement in 1932.[3]

Death

Burt died in Christchurch on 16 January 1933,[1] and was survived by his wife and their daughters.[3] He was buried at Dunedin Northern Cemetery[10] in the same plot as his parents.[11][12]

See also

• List of Otago representative cricketers

References

1. Knight, Lindsay. "John Burt". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
2. "Obituary: Mr Alexander Burt". Otago Daily Times. 3 January 1920. p. 11. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
3. "Obituary: Mr J. R. Burt". The Press. LXIX (20756). 17 January 1933. p. 13. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
4. "Marriage". Otago Daily Times. 29 July 1910. p. 4. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
5. "First-class matches played by John Burt". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
6. "Canterbury v Otago in 1901/02". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
7. "Otago v Hawke's Bay in 1901/02". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
8. "Hawke's Bay v Otago in 1908/09". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
9. John Burt at CricketArchive (subscription required)
10. "Cemeteries search". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
11. "Cemeteries search". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
12. "Cemeteries search". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 16 January 2016.