Ben Hollioake
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Caine Hollioake (11 November 1977 – 23 March 2002) was an all rounder for Surrey County Cricket Club
and the England cricket team. He was born in Melbourne
, Australia
, and moved to England
as a boy, along with his older brother Adam
. He was educated at Millfield Preparatory School
and later at Millfield
.
A graceful batsman who was capable of massive hitting, and a useful medium pacer with a knack of taking wickets, Ben joined his older brother Adam at Surrey in 1995. But before moving to England, he played a lot of junior cricket in Sydney, especially in the Gladesville District Cricket Association. He represented Gladesville District when he was just 9 years old, and was well renowned for his lightning fast bowling and talent with the bat - even at that young age. Considered the more naturally gifted of the two brothers, Hollioake impressed many with his hard hitting batting, canny medium pace, and athletic fielding, and in 1997, aged only 19, he was called up to England's ODI squad to play Australia. Selected for the third and final game of the series at Lord's
Ben performed stunningly in his ODI debut, striking 63 runs off 48 balls against Australia
and becoming Man of the Match
, and England won the 3-match series 3-0. Such a stunning performance led to the media comparing him to the great English all-rounder Ian Botham
, with many journalists calling him "The most exciting young English cricketer in a decade" due to his exciting brand of cricket, good looks, and natural charisma.
England were not performing so well in the 1997 Ashes series when Ben and Adam made their Test
debuts together, on 7 August 1997. England was losing the 6-Test series 2-1 when the Hollioake brothers were selected for the fifth Test, becoming the fifth set of brothers to play for England in the same Test and the third to make a debut together after the Grace and Hearne brothers. Still only 19, Ben was England's youngest Test player since Brian Close
in 1949. However, a loss in that match, and England's questionable selection policies at the time, meant Ben lost his place in the team soon after, and he toured that winter with the England A team. Ben played one more Test match, against Sri Lanka in 1998, and drifted in and out of the one day team, but never quite established himself as first choice all rounder, although towards the end of his career he was showing signs of becoming a more consistent player.
Steve James
wrote in the Daily Telegraph
:
, Australia
near his childhood school Wesley College, Perth
, when he crashed his Porsche 968
convertible into a wall on the Mill Point Road exit of the Kwinana Freeway on his way home from a family celebration. The death of one of English cricket's most well-liked players at the age of 24 years 132 days was the youngest of any England Test cricketer.
Ben's brother Adam
and the Hollioake family wanted to create an everlasting memory in Ben's name, so Adam established the CHASE Ben Hollioake fund in 2002. Adam was already involved with CHASE hospice care for children
and as a result, the fund was set up and in association with CHASE aims to raise as much funding as possible for CHASE to continue providing their caring service to families with life-limited children and young people.
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and the England cricket team. He was born in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a boy, along with his older brother Adam
Adam Hollioake
Adam John Hollioake is a cricketing all-rounder who played for Surrey and England. He captained Surrey from 1997 until 2003, winning three County Championships, and led the England cricket team in One Day Internationals...
. He was educated at Millfield Preparatory School
Millfield Preparatory School
Millfield Preparatory School is a Preparatory school in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. It is the feeder school for Millfield and part of the Millfield school group. At Millfield, the prep' school is commonly referred to as Edgarley....
and later at Millfield
Millfield
Millfield is an independent school in Street in Somerset, in south-west England.The school currently has a roll of 1,260 pupils, of whom 910 are boarders...
.
A graceful batsman who was capable of massive hitting, and a useful medium pacer with a knack of taking wickets, Ben joined his older brother Adam at Surrey in 1995. But before moving to England, he played a lot of junior cricket in Sydney, especially in the Gladesville District Cricket Association. He represented Gladesville District when he was just 9 years old, and was well renowned for his lightning fast bowling and talent with the bat - even at that young age. Considered the more naturally gifted of the two brothers, Hollioake impressed many with his hard hitting batting, canny medium pace, and athletic fielding, and in 1997, aged only 19, he was called up to England's ODI squad to play Australia. Selected for the third and final game of the series at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
Ben performed stunningly in his ODI debut, striking 63 runs off 48 balls against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
and becoming Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
, and England won the 3-match series 3-0. Such a stunning performance led to the media comparing him to the great English all-rounder Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
, with many journalists calling him "The most exciting young English cricketer in a decade" due to his exciting brand of cricket, good looks, and natural charisma.
England were not performing so well in the 1997 Ashes series when Ben and Adam made their Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debuts together, on 7 August 1997. England was losing the 6-Test series 2-1 when the Hollioake brothers were selected for the fifth Test, becoming the fifth set of brothers to play for England in the same Test and the third to make a debut together after the Grace and Hearne brothers. Still only 19, Ben was England's youngest Test player since Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
in 1949. However, a loss in that match, and England's questionable selection policies at the time, meant Ben lost his place in the team soon after, and he toured that winter with the England A team. Ben played one more Test match, against Sri Lanka in 1998, and drifted in and out of the one day team, but never quite established himself as first choice all rounder, although towards the end of his career he was showing signs of becoming a more consistent player.
Steve James
Steve James
Steve James may refer to:* Steve James , American actor* Steve James , Welsh contemporary Christian musician* Steve James , English cricketer and journalist* Steve James , English football player...
wrote in the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
:
At times he was so laid back as to be infuriating... but there was a remarkable warmth and gentleness in his character. Amongst the youngsters he was simply one thing: cool.
Death
Ben Hollioake died in 2002 in PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
near his childhood school Wesley College, Perth
Wesley College, Perth
Wesley College, informally known as Wesley, is an independent, day and boarding school for boys and girls , situated in South Perth, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
, when he crashed his Porsche 968
Porsche 968
The 968 is a sports car sold by Porsche AG from 1992 to 1995. It took over the entry-level position in Porsche's lineup from the 944, with which it shared about 20% of its parts...
convertible into a wall on the Mill Point Road exit of the Kwinana Freeway on his way home from a family celebration. The death of one of English cricket's most well-liked players at the age of 24 years 132 days was the youngest of any England Test cricketer.
Ben's brother Adam
Adam Hollioake
Adam John Hollioake is a cricketing all-rounder who played for Surrey and England. He captained Surrey from 1997 until 2003, winning three County Championships, and led the England cricket team in One Day Internationals...
and the Hollioake family wanted to create an everlasting memory in Ben's name, so Adam established the CHASE Ben Hollioake fund in 2002. Adam was already involved with CHASE hospice care for children
CHASE hospice care for children
CHASE hospice care for children is a UK-based charity . It is intended to support and provide palliative care to families with children who are not expected to reach the age of 19 because of illness or incurable disease...
and as a result, the fund was set up and in association with CHASE aims to raise as much funding as possible for CHASE to continue providing their caring service to families with life-limited children and young people.
External links
- http://www.benhollioakefund.com
- http://www.chasecare.org.uk