Dereck Frank Dowling (25 May 1914 – 30 May 2003) was a South African

cricket 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 ...

er who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

from 1937 to 1954. A stylish left-handed middle-order batsman and leg-spin bowler,''

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...

'' 2004, p. 1539. Dowling made his first-class debut in the 1937–38

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

season. Batting at number five for

Border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

against

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

, he scored 84 and 40 not out in a seven-wicket victory for Border. He played for North-Eastern Transvaal in 1939–40. In the nine matches he played before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he made six fifties. He joined

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

in 1946–47, helping them win three of the next five

competitions. He twice made his highest score of 106: in an innings victory for Natal over North-Eastern Transvaal in 1947–48, and in a draw against Transvaal in 1952–53. His best bowling figures of 6 for 24 enabled Natal to dismiss Border for 60 and claim an innings victory in the opening match of the 1950–51 Currie Cup. Although he was considered for the tours of England in 1951 and Australia and New Zealand in 1952–53, he never played

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

. The New Zealand player John Reid said Dowling was "perhaps the best batsman – and the unluckiest – never to be selected for South Africa". John Reid, ''Sword of Willow'', A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, 1962, p. 81. He was the president of the Natal Cricket Association from 1974 to 1986. His father, Henry, and younger brother Justin also played Currie Cup cricket.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Dereck 1914 births 2003 deaths Cricketers from Pietermaritzburg South African cricketers Border cricketers Northerns cricketers KwaZulu-Natal cricketers South African cricket administrators