Man with golden touch
Spectators knew they were in for a treat whenever swashbuckling batsman Chris Wilkins came to the crease – and he seldom failed his fans.
A real entertainer, he was built like the village blacksmith of old, possessing powerful forearms and shoulders and he delighted in lifting balls over long-on and long-off. His runs were always scored at a hectic pace and if the first ball of the match was hittable, he'd propel it over the boundary.
He was born in King William’s Town, educated at Selborne College and played for the Border Nuffield (the forerunner of the Khaya Majola Week) between 1960-62, before making his first-class debut in 1962-63 for Border against Griqualand West in Queenstown (now Komani).
In the early days he also played wicketkeeper but developed quickly into a useful right-arm medium-paced bowler with a canny outswing as well as an excellent close to the wicket fielder, particularly in the slips.
Like most South Africans of his era, with little international cricket to enjoy, he played County Cricket, representing Derbyshire between 1970-72. He made an immediate impact, scoring the fastest century of the season for the Rest of the World XI against a star-studded TN Pearce team at the Scarborough Week, scoring 102 in 73 minutes. The next year he slammed 156 for Derbyshire against Lancashire at Manchester – his highest first-class score. Wilkins captained Eastern Province in the 1970s before moving to Natal from 1978-79 where he ended his career in 1983.
His nephew, Neville Wilkins, well-known in East London surfing circles, was upset over the death of his uncle. Neville said Chris had been farming in KwaZulu-Natal and “although he lived hard, he was a soft, gentle person”.
“On behalf of the CSA family I extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and his many cricketing colleagues,” said CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe. Wilkins played with and against the best SA cricketers of his era – players like Peter and Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Mike Procter, Vince van der Bijl, Eddie Barlow, Lee Irvine and Ray Jennings.
Wilkins was named as one of the five SA Cricketers of the Year in 1966 and in late 1982 he scored 26 for Natal in a big win over the touring Arosa Sri Lanka team during the so-called “rebel” era.
He scored 18 first-class centuries during his 20-year career which produced 10,966 runs (average 32.63) and in addition he took 211 catches and made six stumpings. He captured 142 first-class wickets (35.30) with a best of 4/19 for EP against Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1972-73. In one-day matches, he scored 2,396 runs (27.86) with one century, 104 for EP against Free State in 1977-78. He also captured 80 wickets in oneday games at 26.15 with his best being 5/40 for EP against Western Province in 1974-75.
Wilkins died in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal and leaves his wife, Lorraine, son Peter and daughter Linda, as well as four grandchildren.