Syd Ward
Syd Ward in December 1933
Personal information
Full name
Sydney William Ward
Born(1907-08-05)5 August 1907
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died31 December 2010(2010-12-31) (aged 103)
Featherston, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1929/30–1937/38Wellington
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 10
Runs scored 282
Batting average 14.84
100s/50s  –/1
Top score 61
Balls bowled 36
Wickets  –
Bowling average  –
5 wickets in innings  –
10 wickets in match  –
Best bowling  –
Catches/stumpings 9/-
Source: Cricinfo, 9 July 2010

Sydney William Ward (5 August 1907 – 31 December 2010) was an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. Ward was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace.

From the death of Frank Shipston on 6 July 2005 until his death, Ward was considered the oldest living first-class cricketer and the second oldest ever, behind Jim Hutchinson.[1] Following his death, Cyril Perkins became the oldest living first-class cricketer.[2]

Ward was born in Sydney, Australia – hence his name – and moved to New Zealand in 1917 prior to playing first-class cricket for Wellington in the late 1920s. Alongside cricket, when he was young he was also proficient at rugby, athletics, and football.[3]

His first-class debut for Wellington came in the 1929/30 Plunket Shield against Otago.[4] From 1929/30 to 1937/38, he represented Wellington in 10 first-class matches, with his final first-class match coming against Canterbury.[5] In his 20 first-class innings, he scored 282 runs at a batting average of 14.84, with a single half century high score of 61, which came against Auckland in the 1934/35 season.[6] In 1937–38 he was the leading batsman in Wellington senior club cricket, with 642 runs at an average of 64.20 for Kilbirnie, who won the championship.[7][8]

He played representative rugby for Wellington between 1931 and 1934, when a broken leg ended his football career.[9]

Ward served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in World War II, stationed at Nelson.[10][11] He worked as a watchmaker – initially as his father's apprentice[3] – and jeweller in Wellington until 1982, then retired to the Wairarapa farming village of Kaiwaiwai, between Featherston and Martinborough.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jim Hutchinson
  2. ↑ Bolton, Paul (4 June 2011). "Rare cricketing century for Cyril Perkins". The Wisden Cricketer. thecricketer.com. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 Julia Wall (2007). "Ninety-nine Not Out". New Zealand School Journal. 2 (2): 29–32.
  4. ↑ Otago v Wellington, 1929/30
  5. ↑ First-Class Matches played by Syd Ward
  6. ↑ Auckland v Wellington, 1934/35
  7. ↑ "The Cricket Field". Evening Post. CXXVI (98): 23. 22 October 1938. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Cricket Champions: Kilbirnie's Record". Evening Post. CXXV (84): 23. 9 April 1938. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Still on the ball at 100". Stuff.co.nz. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Sydney William Ward". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Orchard Manager's Death". Nelson Evening Mail: 2. 6 January 1943.
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