Cyril Clairmonte Depeiaza (10 October 1928 – 10 November 1995) was a West Indian

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

. Depeiaza was born in Mount Standfast,

Saint James Parish, Barbados The parish of Saint James ("St. James") is an area located in the western central part of the country of Barbados. Increasingly St. James is becoming known as the playground of the rich and famous, and as a haven for sun-starved tourists with its ...

. A wicketkeeper, he played in the Barbados Cricket League. He played first-class cricket for

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

from 1951–52 to 1956–57, and toured New Zealand with the West Indian team in 1955–56. He played the last three Tests against Australia in 1954–55, and the first two against New Zealand in 1955–56. In the first Test of the New Zealand tour he did not keep wicket – Alfie Binns was preferred – and he bowled for the only time in his first-class career. In a brief international Test career, he is best known for a world Test record 7th wicket partnership with

Denis Atkinson Denis St Eval Atkinson (9 August 1926 – 9 November 2001) was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches in the 1950s as an all-rounder, hitting 922 runs and taking 47 wickets. He also played first-class cricket for Barbados and Trinida ...

of 347 in which he made his only first-class hundred of 122. The pair came together with the score at 147 for 6 in reply to Australia's first innings of 668. Their partnership record still stands. During the partnership he was hit on the chest numerous times by short balls from

Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004) was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. His ability, irreverent m ...

and

Ray Lindwall Raymond Russell Lindwall (3 October 1921 – 23 June 1996) was an Australian cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight ...

, leading to a suggestion from the father of his Barbados team-mate John Goddard that he wear a piece of protective foam rubber around his chest. This was the first known instance of a chest protector used in Test cricket. Following the innings, the crowd collected $1000 for him. Nicknamed "The Leaning Tower of Depeiaza" because of the way he leaned forward in his defensive shots, Depeiaza worked as a customs clerk.Sobers, p. 46. He moved to England and played league and Minor Counties cricket in the 1960s and 1970s. He died in 1995 at

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England.

References

Sources

* Sobers, G. (1988) ''Twenty Years at the Top'', MacMillan London, .

External links

* 1928 births 1995 deaths Barbados cricketers Barbadian cricketers West Indies Test cricketers Northumberland cricketers Expatriate cricketers in England Wicket-keepers {{Barbados-cricket-bio-stub