New Zealander Eric Tindill, a man with a unique sporting pedigree, died aged 99 on Sunday.

Tindill is the only person to play Tests for New Zealand in both cricket and rugby, and also went on to referee three rugby Tests and umpire one cricket Test.

A halfback or five-eighth for Wellington, Tindill played 16 matches for the All Blacks, including one Test, a 0-13 loss to England at Twickenham in 1936.

He later turned to refereeing and controlled three Tests, two between the All Blacks and the British Lions in 1950 and one involving New Zealand and Australia in 1955.

As well, Tindill played five Tests for the New Zealand cricket team as a wicketkeeper between 1937 and 1947.

He later umpired in one Test match in the 1958-59 season between New Zealand and England as well as serving a period as a New Zealand selector.

Tindill was New Zealand's only genuine double rugby-cricket cap, with George Dickinson and Curly Page only playing cricket Tests, while Charlie Oliver, Jeff Wilson and Brian McKechnie played only in rugby Tests and Bill Carson never played a Test in either sport.

In 1995 Tindill was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

At the time of his death Tindill was the oldest surviving All Black and Test cricketer.

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