A leg-beak and googly bowler, useful lower-order batsman and fine fieldsman at point,[1] Don Sandman took 63 wickets at an average of 9.80 for his Christchurch club, St Albans, in the 1909-10 season.

[5] Auckland regained the Shield in 1911-12, but in 1912-13 Sandman made his highest score, 93, to help Canterbury take the title back.

[7] He took four wickets in New Zealand's first "test" against the visiting Australians later that season, but was one of seven players omitted from the team for the second match.

He also "excelled at billiards, hockey, badminton, boxing, lawn tennis, bowls and rifle shooting".

[13] In January 1937 Sandman was travelling on a train between Greymouth and Hokitika when it crashed, killing one passenger, injuring many others, and trapping many inside the wrecked carriages.