Jack Cheetham
 Jack Cheetham in 1952 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | John Erskine Cheetham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
26 May 1920 Cape Town, Cape Province | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died |
21 August 1980 (aged 60) Johannesburg, Transvaal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Legbreak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Cricinfo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Erskine "Jack" Cheetham (26 May 1920 in Cape Town, Cape Province – 21 August 1980 in Johannesburg, Transvaal) was a South African cricketer who played in 24 Tests from 1949 to 1955.
A middle-order batsman, Cheetham captained South Africa in 15 Test matches, and led the side to a drawn series in Australia in 1952-53, victories away and at home to New Zealand in the 1952-53 season and the 1953-54 season, and a narrow 3-2 defeat in England in 1955.
He played for Western Province from 1939-40 to 1954-55. Playing against Orange Free State in December 1951 he scored 271 not out,[1] which was the highest score ever made in the Currie Cup. Five days later Eric Rowan took the record from him, with 277 not out for Transvaal against Griqualand West.[2]
Rodney Hartman said of him: "Cheetham, the archetype gentleman, embodied the best virtues of sportsmanship and human endeavour, and was always held up as the ideal kind of man to captain his country."[3]
He served in the Middle East during the Second World War.[4] He graduated from the University of Cape Town and worked as an engineer for the construction company Murray & Roberts and later as a director. After he died, the company instituted the Jack Cheetham Memorial Award to recognise those who have done outstanding work promoting sport in disadvantaged communities.[5]
Books
- Caught by the Springboks (1953) (about the South African tour of Australia and New Zealand, 1952–53)
- I Declare (1956) (about the South African tour of England, 1955)
References
- ↑ Orange Free State v Western Province 1950-51
- ↑ Wisden 1952, p. 890.
- ↑ Rodney Hartman, Ali: The Life of Ali Bacher, Penguin, Johannesburg, 2006, p. 47.
- ↑ ABC Cricket Book: South Africans Tour 1952-53, ABC, Sydney, 1952, p. 9.
- ↑ Against the Odds Retrieved February 2, 2013.