Central Districts Cricket is deeply saddened by the passing of VIVIAN STEPHENS (née Sexton) in Taradale, Hawke’s Bay on 5 September 2021.

Viv was a Life Member of Central Districts Cricket Association and one of the driving forces towards establishing our Central Districts Women’s representative side — now known as the Central Hinds — in 1979.

She was the team’s first captain, and she also scored the first century for the team — in December 1980, with a fine knock of 135 against Auckland at Ongley Park, Palmerston North.

It was one year earlier that Viv had walked out to open the batting alongside fellow Manawatu legend Rose Signal when the team entered the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield for the first time — a landmark day, changing the pathway for the generations of CD women who have followed in their footsteps ever since.

Viv Stephens, back row, fourth from right,

captain of 1980/81 Central Districts Women

Born in Foxton in 1953, Viv had already represented her country six times by the time CD Women came to be.

Amid an experienced WHITE FERNS line-up, she was a member of the 1978 Women’s World Cup team in India — batting at six against eventual champions Australia and sharing in a nine-wicket win against the hosts India; and batting at nine against England.

She would later compete against other international line-ups in early 1982, for Manawatu against Australia at Ongley Park; and for CD against both NZ’s own national side and India at Manawaroa Park.

Like a number of talented female players who hailed from what’s now CDCA’s catchment, initially Viv had had to carve out her cricketing reputation elsewhere — for Wellington. Game-changing amalgamation between the New Zealand men’s and women’s cricket councils, leading to integration at Domestic and pathway levels, was still in the future during Viv’s own playing days.

During her teacher training days in Palmerston North, playing cricket meant playing for men’s club sides. A lecturer suggested she travel down to Wellington to play in its dedicated women’s club competition at weekends, and that was how she came to join the capital’s Varsity-Tech Old Girls club where her promise was soon apparent.

When she was 21, she made her one-day Domestic debut for Wellington against Australia at Anderson Park in March 1975, a match in which she shared the opening bowling duties, delivering her tidy right-arm medium pacers.

As her career progressed, she would shift further towards the batting end of the allrounder spectrum. More remarkably, her one-day debut would be her only List A appearance before she added her six one-dayers for New Zealand to her CV. That included two tour matches in India in early 1976 — her first New Zealand tour — and a ‘stopover game’ the following season against New South Wales in Australia en route to the three World Cup matches in India.

 

 

Viv Stephens received her WHITE FERNS cap from NZC Board Member Martin Snedden

at NZC's capping ceremony at McLean Park in March this year,

proud husband Philip at her side | PHOTOSPORT

 

 

Later on, from December 1981, Viv made eight one-day appearances for CD in which she averaged 44.25 with the bat; as well as claiming eight wickets — again at a tidy average, with an economy rate of 3.76. Her career-best batting of 70, together with a haul of 3-43, came on her CD debut, against Canterbury.

In women’s first-class cricket, Viv had made her debut for Wellington against Australia in 1974/75 — an introduction at the tail of that summer before playing her first first-class match of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield later that year in the new season.

She would go on to play 22 matches in the longer format from the 1974/75 summer until 1980/81, the last nine of those games for CD.

Viv was at her most productive with the bat in the green and gold, scoring 445 runs at 34.23 — including her ground-breaking century and an 82 (that featured an impressive 17 boundaries) against Otago in her final first-class match. Fittingly that was at her old stomping ground of Palmerston North: Manawaroa Park, a handsome 10-wicket win.

Her maiden century had been reached a few games earlier, on the last day of 1980. No doubt it made up for the first innings when she had had the misfortune to be run out without scoring.

Viv headed in later that day on 8 not out overnight. Despite CD sitting on a big first innings deficit, she would push her side into a position to declare their second innings, before Auckland saved the match for a draw.

Viv would go on to play one more season in the one-day format only and, as a captain throughout her time with CD, did much to develop the younger players she was responsible for. A number of these players went on to represent New Zealand themselves — including Linda Fraser, twin sisters Rose and Liz Signal, Jackie Clark and Penny Kinsella.

After she hung up her bat at the end of the 1981/82 season, Viv remained closely involved with the game and Association as a long-serving Board Member of CDCA. She was based in Napier with her husband, broadcaster and bowls identity Philip Stephens, and was a much loved digital technology and PE teacher at Taradale High.

Viv was awarded a Life Membership by CDCA in 2015.

The board and all at CDCA offer heartfelt condolences to Philip, her family, and her friends as we farewell a CD legend.

 

Article added: Monday 13 September 2021