Greats from legendary tours gather for reunion

Tall tales reminiscing over the good, bad and in-between of touring life will be thick in the air during New Zealand's first test against the West Indies at Eden Park next month.

The test starts on March 9, the same date the teams met on the same ground in 1956 and which produced New Zealand's first test victory.

Four of the five survivors of that 190-run win, along with members of the 1965 team that toured India, Pakistan and England and the 1972 team that made the trailblazing tour of the West Indies will be at Eden Park for a weekend reunion.

The gathering has been organised by former test players Graham Vivian and Terry Jarvis - both of whom were on the 1965 and 1972 tours - and New Zealand Cricket.

About 30 players will be at Eden Park from the Friday through to Sunday, including the 1956 veterans captain John Reid, Noel McGregor, Sam Guillen and Jack Alabaster and one member of the West Indian team from that game, opening batsman Bruce Pairaudeau.

The Guyana-born Pairaudeau, who hit a century on debut for the West Indies, moved to New Zealand and has lived in Hamilton for many years.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to get Sir Garry Sobers, the game's greatest all-rounder, to Auckland for the reunion. Sobers was in his teens on that 1956 tour and captained the West Indies against the 1972 tourists.

The 1956 win - for which the West Indies were dismissed for 77 chasing 268 to complete a 4-0 sweep of the series - came a year after New Zealand were bowled out for a still world record 26 by England at Eden Park.

Reid, McGregor, Tony MacGibbon and the late Harry Cave were the four players who experienced those particular high and low points.

The 1972 series produced five high scoring draws, including two double centuries for opening batsman, and now national selector, Glenn Turner, and an opening stand of 387 between Turner and Jarvis at Guyana, which remains New Zealand's second highest test partnership.

The record is 467 by Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones against Sri Lanka in 1991.