| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Rodney Reay Holmes | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1924-02-24)24 February 1924 Hollington, Sussex, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 3 February 1980(1980-02-03) (aged 55) Breuil-Cervinia, Aosta, Italy | ||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Wicket-keeper | ||||||||||||||
| Relations | Jack Holmes (father) | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1950–1951 | Sussex | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source: Cricinfo, 15 January 2012 | |||||||||||||||
John Rodney Reay Holmes (24 April 1924 – 3 February 1980) was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, he was born at Hollington, Sussex, and educated at Repton School. After leaving Repton, Holmes enlisted in 1943 as a war-substantive officer with the Rifle Brigade.[1] In April 1944 he received the temporary rank of Lieutenant,[2] and in March 1946 he was granted the full rank of second lieutenant with seniority from 7 April 1945.[3] He was promoted to lieutenant in October 1946.[4] Holmes made his first-class debut for the Free Foresters against Oxford University in 1949.[5] He appeared for Sussex for the first time the following season, also against Oxford University. Competition for the wicket-keeping position from Jim Parks limited his opportunities, and he played only one further first-class match, in 1951, again at Oxford.[5] All three of Holmes’s first-class matches were played at University Parks. In three innings he scored 41 runs at an average of 10.25, with a highest score of 24. As a wicket-keeper he took six catches and made one stumping.[6]
In May 1951, Holmes gained the rank of Captain.[7] He retired from service on 16 August 1954, upon which he was granted the honorary rank of Major.[8] He died in an avalanche at Breuil-Cervinia in Italy on 3 February 1980,[9] alongside three other British tourists.[10] His father, Jack, also played first-class cricket for Sussex.
References
- ^ "No. 36121". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 August 1943. p. 3531.
- ^ "No. 36700". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 September 1944. p. 4256.
- ^ "No. 37510". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 March 1946. p. 1526.
- ^ "No. 37748". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 October 1946. p. 4982.
- ^ a b "First-Class Matches played by Rodney Holmes". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Player profile: Rodney Holmes". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "No. 39238". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 May 1951. p. 2930.
- ^ "No. 40254". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 August 1954. p. 4738.
- ^ "Obituaries in 1980". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Avalanches Claim 7 In Alpines". The Victoria Advocate. 6 February 1980. p. 11. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
External links
- John Holmes at ESPNcricinfo
- John Holmes at CricketArchive
