Mr J. G. Leggat dies suddenly at 46

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33171, 10 March 1973, Page 1

Mr J. G. Leggat dies suddenly at 46

Mr John Gordon Leggat, an outstanding cricketer, sports administrator, and barrister, died suddenly in Christchurch yesterday. He was 46.

As a cricketer, Mr Leggat represented New Zealand against the West Indies, South Africa, England, India, and Pakistan. On the India-Pakistan tour, he was third to B. Sutcliffe and J. R. Reid in the batting aggregates and averages. As an administrator, he had been chairman of the board of control of the New Zealand Cricket Council for the last seven years, and before that was a national selector for six years. He managed a New Zealand cricket team to South Africa, and was chairman of the New Zealand Hockey Association for nine years. As a barrister—he was a senior partner in the Christ-

church legal firm of Weston, Ward, and Lascelles, and a former president of the Canterbury District Law Society —Mr Leggat was described by a colleague yesterday as J one of the best all-round ; lawyers in New Zealand’s • history. I This all-round ability was I his most noted characteristic. In his last year at Christ- ’ church Boys’ High School, he

| scored double centuries in ,each of his school’s big against Waitaki I Boys’ High School and ( Christ’s College. He played I I full-back in the school’s! second XV, won the inter-; (schools tennis doubles, and, 'subsequently played senior hockey. At the end-of-year prize-giving he won about a (dozen trophies, including prizes for the classics, Engllish literature, debating, oral (French, the Arnold Wall . Newspaper Prize, and the (school’s highest award—the Deans Scholarship. ■ As a lawyer Mr Leggat specialised in court work. He , was outstanding as a defence icounsel and took part in many murder trials, of which • the Nelson taxi-driver murder • case was perhaps the best known. i Appearing for plaintiffs in (accident claims, he won some (of the highest awards on , record. He was equally at home dealing with estate claims, libel actions, or the most complicated commercial leases. All this was possible because he combined a very (wide knowledge of the law

, with outstanding ability as an i advocate. Mr Leggat is survived by ’ his wife and two sons. I - • ... —