Garth Le Roux
Encyclopedia
Garth Stirling Le Roux in Kenilworth
, Cape Town
is a former South Africa
n first class cricket
er. He went to Wynberg Boys High School, graduating in 1973.
Le Roux was a powerful fast bowler
and big hitting tail-end batsman, scoring 26 half centuries in his career. His career coincided with South Africa's ban from international cricket, and he did not play official Test cricket
.
After making his first class debut, Le Roux played for South African Universities in 1976-77. During the 1977-78 season, he took 53 Currie Cup wickets and was invited to play for Sussex
. Playing for Sussex, he was recruited to play World Series Cricket
in Australia
where he joined fellow exiles and countrymen, Eddie Barlow
, Mike Procter
, Clive Rice
and Barry Richards. Deprived of international cricket because of the sporting ban due to Apartheid, the South Africans were desperate to do well. With his hostile action and speed, he won the Man of the Series award.
Le Roux had a successful county career with Sussex
from 1978 to 1987, playing for the county against New Zealand
in 1978 and Australia
in 1985. In South Africa he played Currie Cup
cricket for Western Province between 1975 and 1989 and was cricketer of the year in 1978, 1986 and 1987. He represented South Africa in 15 unofficial "Tests"
, taking a hat-trick
against the Australian XI in 1986. Le Roux also played in 29 List A matches for South Africa.
On 10 April 2006 Le Roux appeared in court charged with 48 counts of tax fraud involving R 1.8 million. He was found guilty and on 5 December 2008 was sentenced to 4 years in prison. The Cape High Court overturned the conviction on 23 September 2010 and cleared Le Roux of all charges.
First Class Career
List A Career
World Series Cricket
1978-79
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
is a former South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n first class cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He went to Wynberg Boys High School, graduating in 1973.
Le Roux was a powerful fast bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
and big hitting tail-end batsman, scoring 26 half centuries in his career. His career coincided with South Africa's ban from international cricket, and he did not play official Test cricket
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...
.
After making his first class debut, Le Roux played for South African Universities in 1976-77. During the 1977-78 season, he took 53 Currie Cup wickets and was invited to play for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Playing for Sussex, he was recruited to play World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
in 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...
where he joined fellow exiles and countrymen, Eddie Barlow
Eddie Barlow
Edgar John Barlow was a South African cricketer . Barlow played first-class cricket for Transvaal and Eastern Province from 1959-60 to 1967-68 before moving to Western Province for the seasons from 1968-69 to 1980-81...
, Mike Procter
Mike Procter
Michael John Procter is a former South African cricketer. A fast bowler and hard hitting batsman, his chances for a long and productive test career were wrecked by South Africa's banishment from world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Clive Rice
Clive Rice
Clive Edward Butler Rice is a former South African international cricketer. An all-rounder, Rice ended his first class cricket career with a batting average of 40.95 and a bowling average of 22.49....
and Barry Richards. Deprived of international cricket because of the sporting ban due to Apartheid, the South Africans were desperate to do well. With his hostile action and speed, he won the Man of the Series award.
Le Roux had a successful county career with Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
from 1978 to 1987, playing for the county against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in 1978 and 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...
in 1985. In South Africa he played Currie Cup
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
cricket for Western Province between 1975 and 1989 and was cricketer of the year in 1978, 1986 and 1987. He represented South Africa in 15 unofficial "Tests"
South African rebel tours
The South African rebel tours were a series of seven cricket tours staged between 1982 and 1990. They were known as the rebel tours because South Africa was throughout this period banned from international cricket due to the apartheid regime...
, taking a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
against the Australian XI in 1986. Le Roux also played in 29 List A matches for South Africa.
On 10 April 2006 Le Roux appeared in court charged with 48 counts of tax fraud involving R 1.8 million. He was found guilty and on 5 December 2008 was sentenced to 4 years in prison. The Cape High Court overturned the conviction on 23 September 2010 and cleared Le Roux of all charges.
First Class Career
| Team | Matches | Runs | Average | HScore | Bowled | Wickets | Average | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
15 | 285 | 15.83 | 45 | 2960 | 59 | 23.06 | 50.1 | |
| S.A.Universities | 1 | 18 | 18.00 | 18 | 174 | 7 | 7.14 | 24.8 | |
| Sussex Sussex County Cricket Club Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a... |
137 | 3341 | 28.31 | 83 | 19662 | 393 | 23.16 | 50.0 | |
| Western Province | 86 | 1781 | 23.75 | 86 | 16626 | 379 | 19.22 | 43.9 | |
| Total: | 239 | 5425 | 25.72 | 86 | 39422 | 838 | 21.24 | 47.0 | |
List A Career
| Team | Matches | Runs | Average | HScore | Bowled | Wickets | Average | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
29 | 269 | 24.45 | 58 | 1489 | 47 | 20.57 | 31.6 | |
| Sussex Sussex County Cricket Club Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a... |
138 | 1997 | 24.96 | 88 | 6313 | 197 | 20.81 | 32.0 | |
| Western Province | 83 | 885 | 20.11 | 43 | 4399 | 134 | 18.55 | 32.8 | |
| Total: | 250 | 2911 | 21.56 | 88 | 12201 | 378 | 19.99 | 32.3 | |
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
1978-79
| Competition | Matches | Runs | Average | HScore | Bowled | Wickets | Average | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supertests | 3 | 34 | 11.33 | 33* | 648 | 17 | 15.88 | 38.1 | |
| International Cup | 9 | 32 | 16.00 | 12* | 337 | 17 | 13.00 | 19.8 | |
| 100 Over Matches | 3 | 6 | 3.00 | 6 | 272 | 10 | 10.00 | 27.2 | |
| Country Tour | 7 | 12 | 6.00 | 11 | 330 | 8 | 16.38 | 41.2 | |