William Brook-Smith

He was born in Auckland and named William Brook Smith, son of James Henry Smith, an immigrant from Yorkshire, and Mary Smith, from Ireland.^[2] Although he was generally known in cricket circles as "Brook-Smith", he appears to have never changed his name from "Smith".^[3][4][5][6]

In his first first-class match, aged 19, Brook-Smith scored 112 not out, reaching his century in 105 minutes, against Hawke's Bay in March 1905. He and James Hussey added 115 for the ninth wicket. Auckland won by an innings, and nobody else in the match reached 50.^[7][8] In December 1905 The New Zealand Herald described him as a "stylish and dashing young batsman, particularly good in late cutting, and free scorer all round [the] wicket".^[9]

In 1907-08 he played in the first Plunket Shield match, opening the batting with Lancelot Hemus and making 53 of their partnership of 100.^[10] Later that season he scored 110, the only century of the match, when Auckland beat Otago.^[11] In 1910-11 he was the highest scorer in a low-scoring match against Wellington, making 33 and 72 not out in a narrow victory that enabled Auckland to retain the Plunket Shield.^[12]

He played once for New Zealand, in their last match before World War I, scoring 46 and 18 against Australia in March 1914.^[13]