Lesley Murdoch elected NZ Cricket President

Lesley Murdoch hs been elected NZ Cricket president, taking over from Debbie Hockley (r) Photo / Photosport

RNZ

Former New Zealand cricketer and double international Lesley Murdoch has been elected President of New Zealand Cricket at the organisation’s 128th Annual General Meeting - the second woman to fill this role after out-going president, Debbie Hockley.

Murdoch, who played six Tests and 25 One Day Internationals for the New Zealand women’s team (captaining it in both formats) and represented her country in hockey at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, has been NZC’s vice president for the past year.

A prominent sports broadcaster and commentator, life member of NZC, and a member of the Hood Committee that modernised the old New Zealand Cricket Council in 1995, she is also a trustee on the New Zealand Community Trust.

The AGM saw the election of new director Sarah Beaman, the re-election of director Kevin Malloy, and the retirement of board member, Jackie Lloyd.

Beaman, who NZC commissioned to author the Women and Cricket Report in 2016, works with businesses and organisations both within and outside of the sports sector, helping build and improve organisational capability.

She is a Fellow with the NZ Business Excellence Foundation and an Accredited Recreation Professional (ARPro).

Previously a captain of the NZ U23 Women’s cricket team and coach of the Auckland Hearts, Beaman was also a member of both the Junior Board and Women’s Board of NZC.

She was on the Recreation Aotearoa Board for six years, with two as chair, having earlier worked in sport development at Harbour Sport and as business manager at UniSports Centre for Sport Performance.

NZC announced a surplus of $792,000 for the 2021-22 year against a budgeted loss of $3.6m, demonstrating its commercial resilience during a period of ongoing uncertainty, caused chiefly by the Covid-19 pandemic.