Shed a tear... the greatest Auckland sporting partnership is no more.

For close on 50 years Graham Gedye and Roger Harris were the oddest "Odd Couple", fascinating thousands of sports-mad Aucklanders.

They both played cricket for New Zealand, Graham three tests in the early '60s, Roger one in 1959.

Graham played 13 rugby games for Auckland while the word from the Ponsonby grades had Roger as the next Bob Scott until injury laid him low.

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No matter. This was the prelude to a duet on the operatic scale.

Graham was the expert fiddler for the steady flow of runs, Roger the crash-bang man on the drums.

"We must have opened the batting in 300 club and rep games," said Roger. "Graham opened every innings, utterly faithful so I could try smashing the ball down the ground."

Then the cricket bats were put away, the lawn bowls appeared - 30 more magical years for them both - until Graham slippped away early this week.