From a first-class player to captain, a coach and administrator to match referee, cricket was a major theme in Richard Hayward’s life — and he will be widely missed in the Central Districts and New Zealand cricket communities.

A former Central Stags captain and CDCA Life Member, Hayward has passed away in Nelson, at 72.

Born in Middlesex, he was a 25-year-old British left-hander looking for a productive off-season when he first set foot on Central Districts turf ahead of the 1979/80 New Zealand summer. 

A gentleman of the game who was nicknamed ‘Shots’, he would ultimately showcase his talents on both sides of the planet — playing for and captaining Buckinghamshire (in Minor Counties cricket) and first-class counties Hampshire and Somerset in England; and enjoying notable Hawke Cup success with Nelson before debuting for the Central Stags in the summer of 1982/83.

Hayward played 51 Minor Counties matches in the UK; 50 first-class and 48 List A one-day matches between 1979 and 1989 across both countries. 

Twenty-seven of his 50 first-class caps were for the Stags, and he scored one of his three centuries and six of his nine half centuries in their green baggy.

He also played 16 of his 48 one-dayers for CD, beginning in the 1983/84 Shell Cup season — slotting into the strong middle order of a line-up that included the illustrious Martin Crowe, Ian Smith, Derek Stirling, Gary Robertson, and a fellow future CDCA Life Member, Scott Briasco.

That wasn’t the Stags’ year, but the next season they beat Wellington in the Shell Cup final at the Basin Reserve by eight wickets to lift the 1984/85 title, under Hayward's captaincy. 

 

 

Hayward (227 runs at 45.40) and his Central teammate at the top, Ronnie Hart (273 at 45.50) had been instrumental in driving that campaign's momentum, finishing with the two best averages of all the players in the competition that summer.

In first-class cricket, Hayward made his overall debut for a Minor Counties XI against India in July 1979. His first red-ball Stags cap would come in January 1983, as Central Stags cap 145. 

It was a summer in which the Stags pushed hard, and finished as Shell Trophy (Plunket Shield) runners-up. They were runners-up again the following season, by which time Hayward was the skipper, having taken over from John Wiltshire.

Meanwhile, he turned out for his adopted home of Nelson in the Hawke Cup where he also made a substantial contribution and impact. 

A full 23 of Hayward’s 37 Hawke Cup caps for the ‘Griffs’ were Challenge Matches.

Nelson enjoyed a robust tenure in the early 1980s, unbeaten for three consecutive seasons: a 14-match reign that lasted from 1979 to 1983.

When the silverware finally went on the move again, the team soon won the Hawke Cup back, and held onto it for another solid eight-game spell, with Hayward as skipper, from 1984 until 1986. 

 

He scored 1,115 runs in his 23-match Hawke Cup career at an impressive 46.45 average, with a top score of 113, before finishing in 1990. Overall, Hay­ward made 88 appear­ances for Nel­son – still the fifth-highest tally of caps in their his­tory; scor­ing 3,704 runs at 49.39, includ­ing seven cen­tur­ies.

He cap­tained the District from 1982 to 1988.

With wife Sue, Hayward had put down his anchor in Nelson — his uncle already lived there, and had helped tee up, through CDCA's patron, Jock Sutherland, Hayward’s player-coach role that first brought him over from the UK as a Level II-qualified coach.

He went on to buy a local shop (Top of the South Sports) and to become, in the 1990s, Nelson Cricket’s first full-time professional coaching director, working with teams all the way from intermediate school age to the senior men’s representative side.

In 2002, that led to a long stint in Christchurch as Canterbury’s coaching director, and then Community cricket director, where he explained, "I am putting something back because I want people to get the same enjoyment out of cricket that I got — I do worry that kids are not enjoying the game as much as I did.”

In 2014, Hayward returned to Nelson Cricket as its new General Manager. It was a key period during which the ICC World Cup came to Saxton Oval, and the foundations were laid for its indoor centre, for which he championed the fundraising, before his 2016 retirement.

 

 

Hayward was awarded Life Membership of CDCA in 2019. He was also inducted as a Life Member of Nelson Cricket Association and patron of Wakatu Cricket Club, but his hands-on contributions to the game were still far from over. 

In 2016/17, NZC had appointed him as a Match Referee. It was a role that suited a hugely respected ‘people person’ with such a genuine love for the game and good sportsmanship.

He continued serving on the NZC Officials panel until 2025/26 when a recurrence of illness curtailed his availability. 

Match Referees play a key role in ensuring fairness and adherence to playing conditions. Among the matches for which Hayward performed these duties were 43 first-class games (including 37 in the Plunket Shield); 47 men’s or women’s List A matches; 69 men’s or women’s Super Smash games; and 19 women’s Internationals. 

 

 

 

Central Districts Cricket CEO Lance Hamilton said Hayward would be dearly missed at every level of the sport. 

“Richard was one of those rare people who made everyone feel welcome,” said Hamilton.

“Whether you were an international player, a young club cricketer or volunteering around the grounds, he treated everyone with the same warmth, respect, and genuine interest. 

“Richard was a true gentleman of the game, in every sense. 

“His kindness, humility, and ability to connect with others will leave a lasting impression on generations of players, coaches, officials, and administrators, and he embodied the values that cricket prides itself on. 

 

 

 

“He was also fiercely competitive when the game demanded it, yet always respectful, fair-minded, and gracious. He earned the admiration of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”

NZC Chief Executive Geoff Allott said the game had lost a special person.

“He was a great man with a huge amount of passion for the game and the people who played it,” said Allottt.

“He touched so many of us in different ways and I know the joy he got from watching other people's successes over the years, and it's those sorts of people that leave lasting legacies. 

“He'll be fondly remembered by a lot of people within cricket, and we're very grateful for everything he's done and the impact he's had on our game.”

The team at Central Districts Cricket extends our sincerest condolences to Richard’s wife Sue and family, to Richard’s friends, teammates, colleagues and all who will share our sadness at his passing.

Article added: Saturday 29 August 2026