Howard Watt

Howard Watt
Birth name	Howard Hugh Watt
Date of birth	1 March 1911
Place of birth	Rosebank, Cape Town, Cape Province
Date of death	17 August 2005 (aged 94)
Place of death	Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
School	Diocesan College, Rondebosch
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Loose-forward
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
	Villagers FC
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
1935–36	Western Province
1938	Transvaal
International career
Years	Team
1937	South Africa (tour)
Cricket information
Batting	Right-hand bat
Bowling	Right arm fast medium
Domestic team information
1933/34–1934/35	Western Province
1946/47	North Eastern Transvaal
Career statistics
Matches	12
Runs scored	115
Batting average	7.66
100s/50s	0/0
Top score	22
Balls bowled	–
Wickets	44
Bowling average	24.54
5 wickets in innings	2
10 wickets in match	0
Best bowling	6/84
Catches/stumpings	3/-
	Source: Cricinfo

Howard Hugh Watt (1 March 1911 – 17 August 2005) was the last surviving pre-war Springbok and part of the South African rugby team nicknamed "The Invincibles".^[1]^[2] Nicknamed Sparkle, he was both a cricketer and rugby player.

Early life

Watt was born in Rosebank, Cape Town and educated at Bishops. At school he did not play for the school's first rugby team and in 1928 he went to the United States where he joined a bank and then worked for the Quaker Oats Company in Chicago. While living in Chicago, he became involved in promoting rugby union and cricket in the area.^[3]

Cricket career

An Australian cricket team, with a young Don Bradman in the team, toured the US and Canada. Watt, playing for an Illinois XI, bowled Sir Donald Bradman twice in one match in Chicago in 1932 as a fast bowler. When Howard Watt met him again in 1937, Bradman remembered him as one of the few people to dismiss him so cheaply.^[2]

In 1934 he returned to South Africa and started playing first-class cricket for Western Province, for whom he opened bowling. He played in six matches for Western Province with a best return of 6–84 for Western Province against Griqualand West in Kimberley in 1934/35.^[4] In 1938 he moved to the Transvaal area and played for North Eastern Transvaal. In 1928, Watt played against the England touring team and took 2–59, including the wickets of Len Hutton and Eddie Paynter.^[5]

Rugby union career

In 1934, Watt also joined Villagers and was chosen for Western Province in 1935 and was a member of the 1936 Currie Cup winning team.^[3]

He was a member of the 1937 Springbok touring team to Australia and New Zealand and although he participated in seven tour games he did not play a test match.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Heath, Duane; Grieb, Eddie; Smit, Kobus (2020). South African Rugby Annual 2020. Cape Town: South African Rugby Union. p. 248. ISBN 9780620872041.
^ ^a ^b "Last of the 'Invincibles' dies". News24. August 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
^ ^a ^b Colquhoun, Andy (2006). South African Rugby Annual 2006. Cape Town: SA Rugby & MWP Media (Pty) Ltd. p. 424. ISBN 0620357762.
^ Parker, A. C. (1990). W.P. cricket 100 - not out. Cape Town: WPCU. pp. 137, 199. ISBN 0-620-14738-5. OCLC 122317315.
^ "North Eastern Transvaal v Marylebone Cricket Club at Pretoria, 10-13 Dec 1938". static.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 1 August 2021.