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Picture of Ron Draper.© X (previously Twitter)
Ron Draper, who was the oldest residing Check cricketer, has died in Gqeberha on the age of 98 years and 63 days, his household stated Friday. Draper, a top-order batsman and occasional wicketkeeper, performed in two Check matches for South Africa towards Australia in 1950. One in every of his opponents, Neil Harvey, now turns into the oldest residing Check participant on the age of 96. Each earlier oldest Check cricketers have been South Africans — Norman Gordon, who died aged 103 in 2016, and John Watkins, who was 98 when he died in 2021.
Draper, who was born on 24 December 1926, made a century on first-class debut for Japanese Province towards Orange Free State on his nineteenth birthday.
After making 86 for the province towards the touring Australians in 1949/50 he was chosen for the final two Checks towards the vacationers however scored solely 25 runs in three innings. In contrast, Harvey, then aged 21 and within the early phases of a distinguished Check profession, made centuries in each matches.
Draper continued to play first-class cricket till 1959/60 and completed with a good common of 41.64.
He scored a century earlier than lunch on the primary day of his first two matches of the 1952/53 season. Within the second match, towards Border, he added one other hundred within the second innings to turn out to be the primary participant to attain two centuries in a match in South Africa’s long-established Currie Cup competitors.
Draper died in a retirement house in Gqeberha on Tuesday. His dying was confirmed by his son-in-law, Neil Thomson, on Friday.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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