EP Cricket said today that it was with sadness they had learned of the passing of Colin Rushmere on Friday 20 January at the age of 79. Rushmere was a stalwart of the cricketing fraternity in the Eastern Cape. Born in 1937 Colin played 33 first class matches over a period of ten years. He was a formidable opening batsman and medium pace bowler. He qualified as a lawyer and worked at Rushmere Noach, a company established by his father in 1933.
A right-handed opening batsman and medium-pace bowler he represented Eastern Province and Western Province in 33 first-class matches between 1956 and 1966. He also toured England in 1961 with the Fezela XI that did much to bring a new attacking style into South African cricket.
He scored two first-class centuries with a highest score of 153 for Eastern Province against Western Province at Newlands that was part of a 312-run partnership for the first wicket with Geoff Dakin.
Rushmere made his first-class debut for Eastern Province against Orange Free State in a friendly match in 1956–57, scoring 46 and 55 batting at number five, and taking 3 for 49 and 3 for 27 with his medium-pace bowling. In a friendly match the next season against Griqualand West he scored 147 in an innings victory for Eastern Province. He also played several matches for South African Universities between 1955 and 1959, taking 6 for 32 in a two-day match against Orange Free State in 1956–57.
He was actively involved in the administration of cricket in the Eastern Cape and served as President of the Eastern Province Cricket Association. He was currently serving on the Directors Affairs Committee, together with Judge Ronnie Pillay and Yusuf Lorgat, which was established by EP Cricket to assist with the appointment of independent directors to the EPC Board.
“We are saddened by the news of Colin’s passing and send our condolences to his family and friends. He will always be held in high regard by the cricket fraternity. He served cricket for many years both on and off the field and was a true gentleman of the sport.” said EP President Donovan May.
In 1989 he bought 660 hectares of land on the Kariega River and began developing it into a game reserve and resort. In subsequent years Kariega Game Reserve expanded to 10,000 hectares, including land on the Bushman’s River. The reserve now has several important conservation species, including lion, elephant, giraffe, black and white rhinoceros, hippopotamus and cape leopard.
Colin Rushmere’s brother John played first-class cricket in South Africa in the 1960s. Colin’s son Mark played Test cricket for South Africa in the 1990s and now helps to run Kariega Game Reserve.
Kariega is an internationally renowned Big 5 private game reserve set in 10,000 hectares of pristine African wilderness incorporating the picturesque Kariega and Bushmans river, just 10 minutes from Kenton-on-Sea and 80 minutes from Port Elizabeth.
Editor: There will always be a part of MyPE on the Kariega Game Reserve as co-founder Hilton Shorrock is buried there in the shade of a Belhambra tree. READ MORE HERE.
Alan Straton
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