[2] In March 2009, Hadlee was commemorated as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, and a bronze bust of him was unveiled outside the Christchurch Arts Centre.

Hadlee was seen as one of the finest fast bowlers of his time, despite the contemporaneous presence of Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Wasim Akram and Malcolm Marshall among others.

Hadlee's outstanding personal performance in the second Test at Nottingham (his county 'home') where he took 10 wickets and scored 68 in New Zealand's first innings powered his team to victory.

In this Test Hadlee, often a controversial character, added to this side of his reputation when he felled (and hospitalised) England wicketkeeper and Nottinghampshire teammate Bruce French with a nasty bouncer.

During the New Zealand v West Indies Test at Christchurch in March 1987, Hadlee and captain Jeremy Coney had a disagreement in the dressing room prior to the game.

The terrorist bomb responsible for killing 113 civilians was planted by the Tamil Tigers separatist movement and was not thought to be directed at the touring New Zealand cricket team.

The Test ended with Australia's number eleven batsman Michael Whitney surviving a torrid last over bowled by an exhausted Hadlee.

In the following home series against England, the New Zealand public eagerly anticipated the wicket which would give Hadlee sole possession of the world record.

After touring India in 1976 Hadlee, plagued by stomach troubles, had decided never to play cricket there again, however the opportunity to make history was too strong a lure to pass up.

Shortly after helping New Zealand to another Test victory over Australia at Wellington by taking his 100th first class 5 wicket haul in an innings, Hadlee announced that he would be retiring after the upcoming tour to England.

Shortly before the second Test of the England series at Lord's, the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours were announced and included Hadlee's appointment as a Knight Bachelor, for services to cricket.

[11] Hadlee was not invested with his knighthood until 4 October 1990 after the end of his final Test match on 10 July 1990, although he became Sir Richard upon the publication date of the Honours List.

Due to most knighted cricketers being batsmen, Hadlee liked to state he was the first bowler to receive a knighthood since Sir Francis Drake.

When his father Walter was asked to vote, for the 2000 edition of Wisden, for his choice of the five cricketers of the 20th century, he included Richard, confessing it was "embarrassing ...

[13] In total, Richard Hadlee received thirteen votes from the 100 electors, coming the equal tenth as player of the century.

Initially extremely fast as a young man, as the years progressed he shortened his run-up, gaining improved accuracy and considerable movement off the wicket and in the air.

"He was big, strong, fit, confident, aggressive, had marvelous skills, great technique, he intimidated the batsmen with sheer presence and of course he got you out!"

Of Hadlee he considers him super skillful, the first true professional he saw in tests with serial away swingers on off stump with the occasional inswinger or cutter, the odd bouncer and a very rare yorker.

Grace and George Herbert Hirst have come comparably close to heading both batting and bowling averages in a season).

It was opened to help sportsmen and women who were in situations of hardship to strive for success in their chosen sporting or cultural discipline.

The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Trust relies on the generosity of the community, as well as its corporate sponsors CTV, Lion Nathan, Newstalk ZB, Pernod Ricard, Pope Print, PR South and Vbase.