Renowned sportsman passes away at 80
WELL-KNOWN all-round local sportsman Ivan Dagnin has died at the age of 80.
Dagnin, an opening batsman and central defender, represented Western Province in cricket and soccer, and South Africa at soccer.
He had long careers in both codes, playing into his 40s at top club level. He played his last cricket match at 58, recalled his daughter Bronwyn.
On the soccer field Dagnin represented clubs such as Lions, Woodsides and Ashford, having made his debut at first team level at 15. He was an important cog in the Woodsides team which won the Maggott Trophy many times in the 1960s.
In cricket, he played in the Wynberg and District Union. His clubs were Silver Crowns and Peninsula.
Dagnin played in four three-day matches for the WPCB between 1971 and 1983.
Prior to that, in the centralised Dadabhay tournament in Kimberley in 1969, Dagnin scored 321 runs at an average of 64.2 on challenging wickets.
He was WP’s finest performer with the bat and the tournament’s top-scorer, wrote Mogamad Allie in his More than a Game.
WP Cricket Association president Beresford Williams said: “We wish to express our sincere condolences to the family, friends, former colleagues and teammates of Ivan. His passion and longevity will be long remembered in the sporting fraternity of Western Province.”