And, last but not least, he was a brilliant slip fieldsman.
Born in Pretoria on August 12, 1940, Edgar John Barlow made his
first-class debut in 1959/60 for Transvaal.
He also played later for Eastern Province and Western Province between
1966 - 1982.
In 1976, English county team Derbyshire contracted him for three
seasons, with a then unusually high salary of five figures.
He repaid them handsomely with some awe-inspiring all-round cricket.
Barlow made his Test match debut against John Richard Reid’s
1961/62 New Zealand side, showing his flair as an opener by repeatedly
slicing the pace bowlers over the slips; he made three scores over
50 in the series.
He came of age as an international batsman in the 1963/64 series
against Australia, scoring 603 runs (average 75.37) -- hitting:
114 at Brisbane, 109 at Melbourne and a Test highest 201 at Adelaide,
sharing a third-wicket partnership of 341 runs in 283 minutes with
Graeme Pollock (175).
In New Zealand that said year, he again batted well with three innings
exceeing 50, and amassed some 1,900 runs (average 63.33) on the
twin-tour.
Barlow was in his element during the 1964/65 home series against
England, aggregating 558 runs (average 55.80) -- hitting 138 at
Cape Town, in addition to passing 50, four times.
By 1965, South Africa had assembled a side of all the talents, featuring
Graeme Pollock’s brother, Peter, who had developed into a
formidable fast bowler and Colin Bland -- the best and finest cover
fieldsman of his era, and rated in history as one of the all-time
best.
When South Africa beat Australia at home in the 1966/67 series,
Barlow took 14 wickets, including 5/85 off 33.5 overs at Cape Town.
In his final Test series -- 1969/70 against Australia, he made 127
at Cape Town and 110 at Johannesburg, on both occasions batting
at number five.
Along with his team-mates, Barlow went into international exile
after this series, when the country’s sports teams were ostracised
because of the White-ruled republic’s racists separation policies.
After representing a Rest of the World team with distinction in
1970 with 7/64 v England at Leeds, he went on to excel at Derbyshire,
and upon his retirement in 1982 -- took up coaching and was in charge
of Bangladesh, briefly.
He was immobilised after a stroke.
Confined to a wheelchair, he spent his final years in North Wales.
On the field, Eddie Barlow bubbled with self-belief and bristled
with belligerence.
Off it, he remained a modest soul and charming character, who had
been a great ambassador for the game and for South Africa.
In a first class cricket career spanning 1959/60 to 1982, he made
17,740 runs (average 39.07) hitting 42 centuries and took 562 wickets
(average 24.22) in addition to 331 catches.
Eddie Barlow is gone but not forgotten! |
