Vernon Sale

Background

Vernon Sale was born in Auckland. When he was three years old, his father, the New Zealand cricketer Ned Sale, died in the influenza epidemic of 1918.

Career

He made his first-class debut in the 1934-1935 season. In his second match he came to the crease with Auckland at 252 for 7 in reply to Otago"s 278. He made 65 and Auckland totalled 450.

He was selected for North Island in the match against South Island at the end of the season and made 16 and 43.

However, he appeared in only two matches in the next three seasons. After serving as twelfth man in the first match of the 1938-1939 Plunket Shield he returned to the Auckland team for the second and third matches.

In the first match he made 106 (batting at number eight) and 43 not out against Otago. The "diminutive Aucklander" scored his century in 115 minutes of "confident and beautifully timed stroke play".

Later that year, on Christmas Day, during the match against Auckland he made 97, the highest score in the match, "a masterly innings lasting 135 minutes" with "powerful off and cover drives, and brilliant hook and pull shots".

After the 1939-1940 season World World War II curtailed cricket in New Zealand, and Sale played no more first-class cricket. He umpired two first-class matches in 1947-1948 and 1948-1949. He was also a football player.

Achievements

• Auckland won both matches, and the Shield.