Biography.guide
Home › People › Cricketer › Colin Duff
Portrait of Colin Duff

Colin Duff

1876 – 1941

Rhodesian cricketer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Colin Duff

Lived 1876 – 1941 (aged 65). Colin Duff was a South African cricketer and rugby union player.

Colin Eric Duff (28 February 1876 – 17 May 1941) was a Rhodesian sportsman who played cricket and rugby union.

Duff, who grew up in the Cape Colony, played his early rugby with Western Province, before transferring to Rhodesia, with the help of former England international and Rhodesian administrator William Henry Milton. He competed for the Rhodesian rugby team in the Currie Cup and set a competition record four drop goals in a fixture against Border. The record wasn't beaten until 1992, when Naas Botha booted five drop goals for Northern Transvaal.

His elder brother, Benjamin Duff, was a rugby union player as well and was awarded the first ever Springbok cap in 1891.

Like his brother, Duff also played first-class cricket. He made his debut in the 1904/05 Currie Cup cricket season, against Transvaal. A medium pace bowler, he counted Test opener Jimmy Sinclair as one of his two first innings wickets. It was until 1910 that he appeared in another first-class fixture, with Rhodesia hosting the H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI. He took four wickets in the space of four overs in the fourth innings, conceding 11 runs, as the match ended in a draw.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Colin Eric Duff

People in Colin Duff's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Colin Duff's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Colin Duff?

Rhodesian cricketer (1876-1941)

When was Colin Duff born?

Colin Duff was born on 28 February 1876 in Cape Town.

When did Colin Duff die?

Colin Duff died on 17 May 1941 in Harare.

What was Colin Duff's occupation?

Colin Duff was a cricketer and rugby union player.

What nationality was Colin Duff?

Colin Duff was South African.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Colin Duff

· Wikidata: Q5145057

· DBpedia: Colin Duff

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Colin Duff. https://biography.guide/colin-duff/

MLA: "Colin Duff." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/colin-duff/.

Chicago: "Colin Duff." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/colin-duff/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:09 UTC