lit a candle 6h agoWait, 89. I'd just read about that 1962 drop goal an hour ago, some rugby history rabbit hole, and now this. Strange timing.
Their story
Terence Edward Shaw, known as Terry, was a New Zealand cricketer and rugby union player from the Waikato and Thames Valley regions. Between 1956 and 1964 he played 33 first-class matches for Northern Districts as an opening batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler, and through the late 1950s and 1960s he…
Terence Edward Shaw, known as Terry, was a New Zealand cricketer and rugby union player from the Waikato and Thames Valley regions. Between 1956 and 1964 he played 33 first-class matches for Northern Districts as an opening batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler, and through the late 1950s and 1960s he was also a full-back for the Thames Valley rugby union side.
Shaw was born on 4 May 1937 in Paeroa, a small town in the Hauraki district of the North Island. He came into the Northern Districts first-class side as a teenager in the 1956 to 1957 season, at a time when the young association was still establishing itself in the Plunket Shield.
His best cricket season came in 1957 to 1958. Against Central Districts he top-scored in both innings, with 78 and 40, as Northern Districts won the match, and he finished the Plunket Shield season as his side's most successful batsman, with 283 runs at an average of 28.30. Across his first-class career he made 1,096 runs at 17.67 with four half-centuries, took 19 wickets at 29.84 with a best of three for 52, and held 14 catches. He also played Hawke Cup cricket for Thames Valley.
In rugby he represented Thames Valley from 1957 to 1966. His best remembered moment came in September 1962, when he kicked the winning drop goal as Thames Valley beat the touring Australian team 16 to 14, a rare provincial victory over an international side.
Away from sport Shaw worked with livestock clients, and he and his wife Margaret were married for 64 years. They had four children, Trudi, Clif, Damian and Paddy, as well as 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Shaw died peacefully on 24 October 2026, aged 89. His family remembered him as a kind man with a sharp sense of humour and a talented sportsman who was popular with team mates and colleagues. A funeral Mass was held at St Patrick's Catholic Church in Pukekohe on 28 October, followed by a celebration of his life at Pukekohe Rugby Club. Among those who left messages on his memorial page were former cricketing team mates, who recalled good memories of playing alongside him and sent condolences to Margaret and the family.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), ESPNcricinfo, CricketArchive, NZ Rugby History, The New Zealand Herald death notice. Wikipedia ↗
Photos
1Terry Shaw during the 1959 to 1960 season
by People Forever
