[3] Congdon's finest moments in Tests included the tour of England in 1973 when he scored 176 at Trent Bridge and 175 at Lord's in successive Tests, and the determined foray by the Kiwis to the West Indies in 1972, when he took over the captaincy from Graham Dowling.

In the Trent Bridge match, New Zealand chased 479 in the final innings, falling short by only 38 runs.

At the time, this was a Test record for a highest score in the fourth innings to lose a match.

The innings at Lord's contributed to New Zealand making 551, their highest score in Tests at the time.

In the 1975 New Year Honours, Congdon was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to cricket.