Clive van Ryneveld dies

[Marius]

Clive van Ryneveld, former SA captain, dies aged 89

Clive van Ryneveld, the former South Africa captain who also played rugby for England, has died aged 89. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and his work as a lawyer included providing assistance to players - the most notable one being Basil D'Oliveira - with their contracts.

A legspin-bowling allrounder, van Ryneveld was part of South Africa's famous Test win in England in 1951. It was his debut match.

In all, he played 19 Tests between 1951 and 1958 - captained South Africa in eight of them - and finished with 724 runs and 17 wickets. He had a more successful first-class career, playing 101 games, making 4803 runs and taking 206 wickets. After retiring from cricket, he became one of the founding members of the Progressive political party and also served a term in parliament, representing one of the East London constituencies.

CSA acting chief executive Thabang Moroe paid tribute to Van Ryneveld: "On behalf of the CSA Family I extend our deepest condolences to his family, his friends and his many cricketing colleagues. Apart from being an outstanding all-round sportsman he did his utmost to create a level playing field for all South Africans."

Clive van Ryneveld, former SA captain, dies aged 89 - ESPNcricinfo

An interesting man and one of the important figures of SA cricket in the 1950s. Also did a lot to fight apartheid after his playing career was over.

RIP

 

[SeamUp]

Indeed Marius

Perhaps played in a time where he got away with his captaincy being more important than his statistical contribution. But a well known sporting figure in SA and England.

RIP

 

[Zinzan]

Had never heard of him tbh, but not the worst resume is it;

- Captain of SA's cricket team
- Played rugby for England
- Rhode Scholar at Oxford
- Lawyer specializing in sports contracts


RIP

 

[Marius]

Had never heard of him tbh, but not the worst resume is it;

- Captain of SA's cricket team
- Played rugby for England
- Rhode Scholar at Oxford
- Lawyer specializing in sports contracts


RIP

And he was an MP for the only explicitly anti-apartheid white party.

 

[fredfertang]

He published an autobiography a few years ago - 20th Century All-rounder - definitely one of the more interesting cricketing lives

 

[Marius]

He published an autobiography a few years ago - 20th Century All-rounder - definitely one of the more interesting cricketing lives

I have a copy, was hard to track down, was published by a very small publishing house in Cape Town.

 

[fredfertang]

I have a copy, was hard to track down, was published by a very small publishing house in Cape Town.

Books published in South Africa are always tricky to find copies of, though this one was easy compared to the Eddie Barlow and Buster Farrer autobiographies

 

[Marius]

Books published in South Africa are always tricky to find copies of, though this one was easy compared to the Eddie Barlow and Buster Farrer autobiographies

No, they're fine if they get published by one of the big publishing houses like Jonathan Ball or Jacana etc. Now that I think about it, I don't think it was even published in SA, it was only available from one little shop in CT if I remember correctly. Eventually got hold of a second hand copy.

 

[wpdavid]

And he was an MP for the only explicitly anti-apartheid white party.

Sounds like one of the good guys, and probably a very brave man.

Well done marking his passing.

 

[SeamUp]

Was the last player alive from SA's 1951 tour to England doing some research. Considering no one is alive from the 1955 tour shows how his sharpness of mind kept him ticking along well.

 

[wpdavid]

The bloke on the left of the front row looks about 60. Any idea who he is?

 

[SeamUp]

Quite a few bespectacled players !

Percy Mansell. Left England for Rhodesia with his parents as an infant. Actually got a MBE for his services to cricket in the end. He is back row on the right.

But the one you referring to is : Geoff Chubb | South Africa Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPNcricinfo

Hugh Tayfield isn't there but he actually replaced Athol Rowan soon after who struggled with issues due to his knee being shattered in the war.

Back Row
Clive van Ryneveld , Athol Rowan , John Waite , Jackie McGlew , Roy McLean, Cuan McCarthy , Russell Endean , Michael Melle, Percy Mansell

Sitting
Geoffrey Chubb , Eric Rowan , Dudley Nourse , Jack Cheetham , George Fullerton , Tufty Mann


Suppose with Tayfield we ended up getting Goddard, Adcock and Heine which made us a much better team for a while in the 50s

All changed in the 60s with Barlow, Bacher, G.Pollock, Bland, Lance, Lindsay, P.Pollock (Richards, Irvine, Procter)

 

[wpdavid]

I suppose spectacles weren't unheard of in those days. England had Boycott and Mike Smith wearing them in the 1960s, and there were probably others.

Thanks for the info btw. I don't know much about the early 1950s South Africa side; as you say, it was just before the emergence of Adcock & Heine, who must have livened things up a bit.

Seeing Tufty Mann in the lineup reminds me of John Arlott's comment about him and and English player of the same surname. Something about 'man's inhumanity to man', although I don't recall the exact context.

 

[SeamUp]

Very true. Barlow too.

Just easier to wear contacts these days ?

No problem mate. We desperately needed some strike bowling options that Tayfield, Adcock and Heine brought. Because even with Mitchell, Melville retired by the tour and Nourse and E.Rowan retiring after this one we at least were getting Goddard, McGlew, Waite, Endean and McLean together in the batting. Good mix of stickers and stroke makers. Barry Richards said his hero was Roy McLean.

Just reading up on Tufty. Yet another SA cricketer from the time that attended Oxford University. P.van der Bijl, Melville, van Ryneveld were others I knew.

Found Arlott's comment here. Think this was the 48-49 or 49-50 England tour to South Africa ?

In the series against England, Mann headed the South African bowling averages, though with 17 wickets he took fewer than Cuan McCarthy and Athol Rowan. Played mainly on batsman-friendly pitches and with the South Africans in particular often batting very defensively, the series was won by England by 2–0 with three drawn matches and there was a lot of bowling for South Africa's main three bowlers. It was in this series, when a particularly drawn-out innings by the England captain George Mann ended with his dismissal by Tufty Mann that broadcaster John Arlott summed up the innings as "a case of Mann's inhumanity to Mann".[22]