Trevor Goddard (cricketer)

Trevor Goddard

Trevor Goddard (L) with Sir Donald Bradman
Personal information
Full name	Trevor Leslie Goddard
Born	(1931-08-01)1 August 1931 Durban, Natal, South Africa
Died	25 November 2016(2016-11-25) (aged 85) Caledonspoort, near Fouriesburg, Free State, South Africa
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Batting style	Left-handed
Bowling style	Left-arm medium
International information
National side	South African
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class List A Matches 41 179 1 Runs scored 2516 11279 20 Batting average 34.46 40.57 20.00 100s/50s 1/18 26/54 -/- Top score 112 222 20 Balls bowled 11736 40465 42 Wickets 123 534 0 Bowling average 26.22 21.65 – 5 wickets in innings 5 24 – 10 wickets in match 0 1 n/a Best bowling 6/53 6/3 – Catches/stumpings 48/- 175/- -/-
Source: CricketArchive, 3 March 2017

Trevor Leslie Goddard (1 August 1931 – 25 November 2016) was a Test cricketer. An all-rounder, he played 41 Test matches for South Africa from 1955 to 1970. He captained the young South African team on its five-month tour of Australia and New Zealand in the 1963–64 season, levelling the series with Australia, and was also captain in 1964–65 against England in South Africa.

A left-handed, classically correct opening batsman, he was also a successful left-arm medium-pace bowler with 123 wickets at Test level. Among Test bowlers with 75 wickets or more, he is the most economical of all, conceding an average of only 1.64 runs per over. He enjoyed particular success at first-class level, with over 11,000 runs at 40.60 together with 534 wickets and a competitive 21.65. He played for Natal from 1952–53 to 1965–66, for North-Eastern Transvaal in 1966–67 and 1967–68, then returned to Natal for his last two seasons, 1968–69 and 1969–70.

The cricket journalist Telford Vice has described Goddard as "a man of rare grace, intelligence and spirit".Sir Donald Bradman said he was "a completely reliable and honest player who could be depended upon before any season started to put up a sterling performance over a whole series", praised his "qualities of sincerity and integrity", and said that he "enriched the game of cricket and set a fine example".

Born in Durban, South Africa, Trevor Goddard was the youngest in a family of four boys whose father was a linotype operator with the Natal Mercury. Trevor played in the first XI at Durban High School from 1946 to 1948, scoring several centuries and taking many wickets as a left-arm orthodox spinner, often bowling in tandem with Arthur Tayfield, Hugh's younger brother. Along with Arthur Tayfield, he played in the South African Schools XI in 1948–49.

Fully grown, he stood six feet two inches. He changed to pace bowling when he began playing for the Tech club in Durban, which had a spin bowler (the Natal left-armer Les Payn) and needed a medium-pacer.