Frederick Harper

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Frederick Harper (24 November 1863 – 19 January 1937) was a New Zealand cricketer who played for Otago. Born in Bolton, England, he moved to New Zealand and appeared in 14 first-class matches for Otago between 1886/87 and 1894/95. He was a stylish batsman and a sharp fielder who captained Otago in most games. He scored 297 runs, with a top score of 69 and two fifties, and he bowled a little, taking 1 wicket.

In the 1887-88 season he made 53 in the Otago vs Canterbury match, the highest score in that game and the season at the time. Harper helped bring the first professional cricket coach to New Zealand by visiting England and hiring Joseph Lawton for Otago; he paid half of Lawton’s salary in the first year. Outside cricket, he was a partner in the soft goods firm Messrs McKerrow, Lees and Co. He retired to Timaru with his wife and died in Christchurch in 1937, aged 73.