Biographical.

Len McMahon (born in North Sydney on 9 October, 1889) gained a place in North Sydney's first-grade team in 1905–06, and became captain of the New South Wales juniors. He played for Auckland in 1909. In December, 1910, he and Athol Young, playing for Wanderers v. Taruheru, knocked up 518 runs for the second wicket, their partnership occupying two Saturday afternoons. Young made 275 (out) and McMahon 226 (not out), extras being 17. The partnership was dissolved by the veteran Stichbury with an “under-armer.” In 1912 McMahon had the remarkable average of 349, his scores being: 30 (not out), 2, 85 (not out), 108 (not out), 131 (not out), 135 (not out), 161 (not out) and 46.

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Major William Nicol Carson, M.C. (born at Gisborne on 16 July, 1916) served with distinction in Greece, Crete, the Western Desert and Italy. On 29 July, 1944, he was gravely injured at Ronio, south of Florence. Jaundice supervened, and he died at Bari on 8 October, 1944. When he was only 16 years old he was regarded by Mr. Hugh Duncan, of Auckland, as Poverty Bay's star player. In Auckland, in 1934, he made several centuries for Eden Cricket Club, his highest score being 259 against Ponsonby. When Auckland played Otago at Dunedin for the Plunket Shield in December, 1936, two valuable wickets had been lost by the northerners for only 11 runs. Carson then became associated with P. E. Whitelaw in a partnership which produced 445 in 268 minutes—a Shield record. His contribution was 290. During the 1936–37 season he made 500 runs in Shield contests, including 194 in his first innings against Wellington. He went Home with the Dominion team in 1937. In the match Auckland v. Otago in 1938 he compiled 108 (not out), and, in 1939, playing against Wellington, he was associated with A. M. Matheson in an eighth-wicket partnership Shield record of 189, of which his share was 136. Carson played 40 innings for New Zealand, gaining a batting average of 21.00, and he took 17 wickets at a cost of 21.29 runs apiece.