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{{short description|New Zealand cricketer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = George Watson
| image =
| caption =
| country = New Zealand
| fullname =
| birth_date = 1855
| birth_place = [[Mumbai|Bombay]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date = 23 November 1884 (aged 29)
| death_place = [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]]
| family = [[Francis Watson (cricketer)|Francis Watson]] (brother)
| batting = Left-handed
| bowling =
| club1 = [[Canterbury cricket team|Canterbury]]
| year1 = 1882-83 to 1883-84
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1 = 5
| runs1 = 367
| bat avg1 = 40.77
| 100s/50s1 = 1/2
| top score1 = 175
| deliveries1 = –
| wickets1 = –
| bowl avg1 = –
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = –
| catches/stumpings1= 1/0
| date = 4 October
| year = 2014
| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/23/23067/23067.html Cricket Archive
}}
'''George Watson''' (1855 – 23 November 1884) was a New Zealand [[cricket]]er who played [[first-class cricket]] for [[Canterbury cricket team|Canterbury]] from 1881 to 1884. In his first match he scored the first [[Century (cricket)|century]] in [[New Zealand]] first-class cricket.

==Early life and career==
Watson was born in [[Mumbai|Bombay]], the third son of the Rev. Thomas Watson, who was senior chaplain in the [[Bombay Presidency]].<ref>''[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]]'', 25 November 1884, p. 2.</ref> His younger brother, [[Francis Watson (cricketer)|Francis Watson]] (born on [[Saint Helena]] in 1860), also played first-class cricket, appearing in a single New Zealand domestic match for a [[West Coast cricket team|West Coast]] team.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/23/23065/23065.html Francis Watson] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 January 2015.</ref>

After moving to [[Christchurch]], George Watson began representing Canterbury in non-first-class matches in 1877, and toured [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[Tasmania]] with the Canterbury team in 1878-79.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/23/23067/Miscellaneous_Matches.html Miscellaneous matches played by George Watson]</ref> However, he was not selected for Canterbury's annual first-class match against [[Otago cricket team|Otago]] until 1880-81.

==The first century==
The match between Canterbury and Otago at [[Hagley Oval|Hagley Park]] in [[Christchurch]] in February 1881<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2433.html Canterbury v Otago 1880-81]</ref> was the 19th first-class match between the two, in a series that had begun with New Zealand's first first-class match in 1863-64. It was the 30th first-class match in New Zealand. Matches had been low-scoring affairs. The first fifty was not scored until the sixth match, in 1868-69 (72 by [[Arthur Cotterill]] of Canterbury),<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1573.html Canterbury v Otago 1868-69]</ref> and the highest score was 88 in 1874-75 by [[Charles Corfe (headmaster)|Charles Corfe]] of Canterbury.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1925.html Canterbury v Otago 1874-75]</ref>

Opening the innings, Watson drove the first ball of the match for four.<ref>''[[Otago Daily Times]]'', 25 February 1881, p. 4.</ref> He "laid on to the loose ones without mercy", and after reaching his century with "a long drive for 4" he went "merrily on his way" reported the Christchurch paper ''[[The Star (Christchurch)|The Star]]'', "and if we do not chronicle all his important hits, it is because their number was so great, and even newspaper reports have their limit". He was eventually caught at point for 175 when the score was 300. While the Otago fielding was good, ''The Star'' commented, "it would not be going too far to say that their bowling was probably the weakest that has yet been seen in an Interprovincial match".<ref>''[[The Star (Christchurch)|The Star]]'', 25 February 1881, p. 3.</ref> An obituarist recalled: "I remember no innings which contained more good hits and fewer bad ones, than this of Mr Watson. The bowlers failed to get near his wicket at all." He said of Watson's batting in general: "Perhaps the best feature of Mr Watson's batting was its straightness ... His favourite hit was the drive: woe betide the bowler who, deceived by his patient treatment of length balls, presumed to over-pitch!"<ref>[https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS18841125.2.15 A Brother Cricketer, "The Late George Watson"], ''The Star'', 25 November 1884, p. 2.</ref> Watson's score of 175 stood as the highest total by a player on debut in first-class cricket in New Zealand until October 2017, when [[Brad Schmulian]] made 203 runs in the first innings for [[Central Districts cricket team|Central Districts]] in the [[2017–18 Plunket Shield season]].<ref name="Schmulian">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21163251/debutant-brad-schmulian-breaks-136-year-old-record-central-draw |title=Debutant Schmulian breaks 136-year-old record in Central's draw |accessdate=26 October 2017 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref>

Canterbury totalled 381, setting a record for the highest total in New Zealand first-class cricket, and dismissed Otago for 77 ([[William Frith (New Zealand cricketer)|William Frith]] 8 for 18) and 72 ([[Charlie Frith]] 7 for 25) to win by an innings and 232 runs, a record victory margin in New Zealand first-class cricket at the time. After the match Watson was presented with a bat in honour of his innings.<ref>''[[New Zealand Herald]]'', 28 February 1881, p. 5.</ref>

==Later cricket career==
Watson scored 36 and 52 (top score in the match) when Canterbury beat [[Auckland cricket team|Auckland]] by 27 runs in 1882-83.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2658.html Canterbury v Auckland 1882-83]</ref> In his last first-class match he again made the highest score, 82, when Canterbury beat [[Tasmania cricket team|Tasmania]] by one wicket in 1883-84.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2779.html Canterbury v Tasmania 1883-84]</ref> He had been captain and secretary of the Midland Canterbury Cricket Club in Christchurch for two seasons when he died.<ref>''The Star'', 27 November 1884, p. 3.</ref>

==Personal life==
Watson was a [[Bachelor of Arts]] graduate of [[University of New Zealand|Canterbury College]] and a master at [[Christ's College, Christchurch]]. He married Sarah Smith in 1879, and they had two sons.<ref name="JB">{{cite web |last1=Bell |first1=Jamie |title=George Watson: From triumph to tragedy |url=http://nzcricketmuseum.co.nz/george-watson/ |website=NZ Cricket Museum |accessdate=24 August 2018}}</ref> He died at home in Christchurch at the age of 29 after an attack of [[peritonitis]].<ref>"Death of Mr George Watson", ''The Star'', 24 November 1884, p. 3.</ref><ref>''Otago Daily Times'', 25 November 1884, p. 2.</ref><ref name="JB"/> Sarah never remarried, raised their sons alone, and died in June 1944.<ref name="JB"/><ref>{{cite journal |title=Deaths |journal=Press |date=16 June 1944 |page=1 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19440616.2.2.2 |accessdate=24 August 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{cricinfo|id=38805}}
*[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/23/23067/23067.html George Watson at CricketArchive]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, George}}
[[Category:1855 births]]
[[Category:1884 deaths]]
[[Category:New Zealand cricketers]]
[[Category:Canterbury cricketers]]
[[Category:University of New Zealand alumni]]
[[Category:New Zealand schoolteachers]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Deaths from peritonitis]]

George Watson (cricketer, born 1855) - Revision history

ImportMaster: bot: Import missing articles in Category:Indian cricketers