New Zealand's First Test Win — 26 Years, 45 Tests, Then Auckland 1956

Captains John Reid and Walter Hadlee had spent the 1950s rebuilding the side from the wreckage of the 1955 26-all-out humiliation. The home advantage of an Auckland March pitch and a depleted West Indian touring side gave them their best chance.

After three drawn-or-lost matches in the four-Test series, the home side had nothing to lose. Selectors picked a balanced attack and gave Reid licence to bat aggressively at No. 4.

New Zealand had been admitted to Test status in 1929-30 and had spent a quarter of a century as easy fodder for Australia, England and South Africa. By the 1955-56 home series against West Indies, they had drawn 14 and lost 31 of 45 matches. The visiting West Indians, captained by Denis Atkinson without Worrell, Walcott and Weekes (all touring elsewhere or rested), were beatable.

Reid won the toss and chose to bat. His 84 in 168 minutes anchored New Zealand's 255. West Indies replied with 145 — Tony MacGibbon 4 for 44, Cave 3 for 31. New Zealand made 157 in their second innings (John Beck 38) to set 268. West Indies, on a pitch increasingly favouring spin, were dismissed for 77. Cave took 4 for 21 and Don Beard 3 for 22. The final wicket fell when Sam Guillen — born in Trinidad and capped by West Indies in 1951 before emigrating to New Zealand — stumped Valentine.

Reid was carried off the field. The crowd of 9,000 sang 'Now is the Hour'. Telegrams from the Prime Minister and the Governor-General arrived within an hour.

“Today the boys have done what we have all dreamed of for so long.”

“Sammy Guillen had a tear in his eye when he gave up the ball.”

New Zealand still lost the series 1-3. They would not win another Test for five years. But the win established a precedent and Reid in particular went on to become a national figure, captaining 34 of his 58 Tests.

Sam Guillen's role in stumping the final wicket — having played for West Indies a few years earlier — became one of the great human anecdotes of the early Test era.