Douglas Ovenstone

Douglas MacPherson Ovenstone (31 July 1921 – 6 November 2011) was a South African cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1942–43 and 1947-48.[1] He was born at Sea Point, Cape Town, Cape Province and died at Llandudno, Cape Town.

Douglas Ovenstone

Personal information
Full name	Douglas MacPherson Ovenstone
Born	(1921-07-31)31 July 1921 Sea Point, Cape Province, South Africa
Died	6 November 2011(2011-11-06) (aged 90) Llandudno, Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicketkeeper
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1946/47–1947/48	Western Province
First-class debut	13 March 1943 First South African Division v The Rest
Last First-class	3 January 1948 Western Province v Transvaal
Career statistics
Competition FC Matches 20 Runs scored 437 Batting average 14.56 100s/50s –/1 Top score 52 Balls bowled – Wickets – Bowling average – 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling – Catches/stumpings 40/15
Source: CricketArchive, 4 March 2012

Ovenstone was a right-handed batsman who mainly batted in the lower order but was occasionally used as an opener, and a wicketkeeper. He played in a single wartime first-class match, having served in the South African forces in the Second World War and been wounded at El Alamein.[2]

He played regularly for Western Province in 1946-47 and in the match against Transvaal he hit 52 while opening the batting; this was to be his only first-class score of more than 50.[3] On the strength of that and four catches in the Transvaal second innings, he was picked for the 1947 South African tour of England. With Johnny Lindsay and George Fullerton also in the touring side, Ovenstone's opportunities were limited. Lindsay was chosen for the first three Test matches and though his poor batting meant that he then lost his Test place, Ovenstone was not available, as he was sidelined for two months after breaking a finger in a county game immediately after the second Test; by the time he was fit again, the tour was almost over and Fullerton had taken over as the Test wicketkeeper.[4]

Ovenstone returned to first-class cricket with Western Province in the 1947-48 season, but then retired to a career in business. He ran a farm in the Western Cape that housed exotic animals and had interests in a family fisheries business.[2]

References

1. "Douglas Ovenstone". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
2. "Douglas Ovenstone dies aged 90". www.espncricinfo.com. 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
3. "Scorecard: Western Province v Transvaal". www.cricketarchive.com. 1947-01-01. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
4. "South Africans in England, 1947". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1948 ed.). Wisden. p. 186.