By his own admission, John Reid was lucky to make the Otago Best XI.
The great all-rounder enjoyed a glittering career but thought he had scored too many runs against Otago and dismissed too many of the province's batsmen to be considered for the team.
But his record proved simply too good to ignore when the team was named in December last year.
Reid yesterday joined fellow Best XI members Glenn Turner, Craig Cumming, Warren Lees, Frank Cameron, Stephen Boock and the 12th man, Gren Alabaster, at a special function at Carisbrook.
The Otago Cricket Association hosted the event to formally recognise the naming of the Best XI and to farewell Carisbrook.
"I suppose I was a bit surprised," Reid said.
"But I did captain Otago when I was there."
Reid fondly remembers playing alongside the great left-hander Bert Sutcliffe but recalled the pair did not feature in many partnerships.
"When he got runs I didn't get any and when I got runs he didn't get any."
Reid took 21 wickets at 11.57 and scored 670 runs at 37.22 for Otago. But he also did the devil's work, taking 30 wickets and scoring 951 against Otago - that is a debt of nine wickets and 281 runs - not that we are counting.
Otago cricket shifted to its new home at the University Oval in 2004 but Carisbrook holds a special place in the history of sport in the province.
The venue has hosted 252 first-class matches, 46 list A games, 21 one-day internationals and 12 tests (two abandoned without a ball bowled).
Sutcliffe scored back-to-back 100s on debut for Otago against the MCC in March 1947. He also holds the ground record with a regal 355 against Auckland in 1949-50. There were 38 fours in that innings. People would go to Carisbrook just to watch Sutcliffe bat and promptly leave if he got out.
But not everyone has fond memories of Carisbrook. Cameron, a famously hard-working medium pacer, said during his playing days the 'Brook' was a very good batting strip and took plenty of turn, hardly ideal conditions for seam bowling, although the harbour breeze assisted him to swing the ball. But he much preferred Eden Park, where he boasted a better record.
• Otago Best XI
Glenn Turner, Bert Sutcliffe, Craig Cumming, Ken Rutherford, Roger Blunt, John Reid, Warren Lees (captain), Neil Mallender, Alec Moir, Frank Cameron, Stephen Boock, Gren Alabaster (12th man).
