Jack Cheetham
 Jack Cheetham in 1952 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | John Erskine Cheetham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 May 1920 Cape Town, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 21 August 1980 (aged 60) Johannesburg, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Legbreak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 5 March 1949 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 13 August 1955 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 12 August 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Erskine "Jack" Cheetham (26 May 1920 – 21 August 1980) was a South African cricketer who played in 24 Test matches between 1949 and 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]
During the D'Oliveira affair in 1968 the apartheid regime used Cheetham as an emissary to the MCC in their efforts to ensure that Basil D'Oliveira, a South African-born mixed-race cricketer, would not be picked to represent England on the forthcoming tour of South Africa. The South African Cricket Association (SACA), of which Cheetham was the vice-president, supported segregation of all sport, as required by the regime. On arrival in England Cheetham delivered a letter from the SACA which promised nothing on D'Oliveira, and he was then used by the MCC to deliver a message back to South Africa that "the MCC would do almost anything to see that the tour is on".[6]
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. Cricketarchive.com. Retrieved on 21 May 2018.
- ^ 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 2 February 2013.
- ^ Basil D'Oliveira, Cricket and Conspiracy: The Untold Story by Peter Oborne, pp. 148, 152.
External links[]
- 1920 births
- 1980 deaths
- Cricketers from Cape Town
- Western Province cricketers
- South Africa Test cricket captains