Australian servant of the game passes away at the age of 92

The ex-Australian opener John Rutherford has passed away at the age of 92. Rutherford, who represented Australia in one Test, was the first-ever player from Western Australia to wear the respectable baggy green. 

Hailing from Bruce Rock, a small town situated 243km east of Perth, Rutherford played 67 First-Class matches from 1952 to 1961. He amassed 3367 runs at a modest average of 31.76 with 6 hundreds and 15 fifties. 

The pioneer played a solitary Test against India in Mumbai way back in 1956, in which the Aussie scored 30 runs and picked the vital wicket of Vijay Manjrekar. However, his career was cut short abruptly in 1960 at the age of just 31 because of a stroke that he suffered while captaining Western Australia in a tour game against West Indies.

Although Ernie Brombley was the first Western Australia-born player to don the Australian jersey, he represented Victoria in the Sheffield Shield tournament during his national call up. On the other hand, Rutherford got his chance after Western Australia was formally included in the Australian Domestic Championship in 1947-48. Therefore, he remains the first official Western Australian to play for Australia. 

The chief executive of WA cricket Christina Matthews mourned the former cricketer’s demise by saying that he played a prominent role in the rise of WA cricket when the eastern states used to dominate the national side. She also described Rutherford's personality as charismatic, talkative, and paid heartfelt condolences to the legend’s family. 

“John Rutherford played an enormous role in placing WA Cricket on the map, at a time when the national side was dominated by players from the eastern states," Matthews said. 

"He was a talkative and charismatic personality, and his passion for cricket was infectious. On behalf of everyone at WA Cricket and the State's cricketing community, we send our deepest condolences to the Rutherford family," she concluded.