Ron Hamence

Ronald Arthur Hamence (25 November 1915 – 24 March 2010) was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. A short and compact right-handed batsman, Hamence excelled in getting forward to drive and had an array of attractive back foot strokes. Already the youngest Australian to play district cricket, he was also, from the death of Bill Brown in 2008 until his own death in 2010, the oldest surviving Australian Test cricketer.

While Hamence only played three Test matches for his national team, he had a successful domestic career, being called South Australia's most successful batsman in 1950. He played 99 first-class matches from 1935 until 1951, which brought him a career total of 5,285 runs that came at an average of 37.75 runs per innings and included 11 centuries. Hamence was the cousin of Charlie Walker, a fellow Australian cricketer. At 15 years and 25 days, Hamence became the youngest district cricketer in South Australian cricket history when he made his debut for Adelaide club West Torrens in 1930. While playing with the SA team, he worked as a public servant at the Government Printing Office. He was a compact batsman preferring attack over defence, however he suffered a weakness throughout his career against fast bowling. This was to be his only match of the season, which left him with a debut season average of 121.00. At the start of his first full season, he followed this up with scores of 16 and four against the touring England team and Victoria and seven and 19 against New South Wales. On Christmas Day, 1936, however, he scored his second first-class century, 104 against Queensland in the first innings. He would go on to score 52 in the second.

Scores of three not out, 28, 27, 35 and four followed before his next significant score, 52, against Queensland on 12 February 1937. Hamence scored 30 not out in the first innings as Australia made 253 in response to England's first innings 280. England managed 186 in response and Australia, set 213 to win, reached it in 52.2 overs. However Hamence made only one in his second innings. He returned to domestic cricket, however over six innings his highest score was 27. In the Third Test, which started on 1 January 1948, Australia achieved victory with centuries from Don Bradman and Arthur Morris meaning Hamence was again not needed to bat in the second innings. He was then replaced by Neil Harvey for the final two Tests. Hamence was a popular member of the touring squad and his cheerful nature and splendid tenor voice added to the good spirits of the team. Bradman, following the Invincibles tour described Hamence as "a fine batsman of the strictly orthodox type. Very sound and reliable with his game based on driving" and a "very safe fieldsman".

Barnes reported that Hamence, along with the other frequent omissions Colin McCool and Doug Ring, termed themselves the "Ground Staff". He added: "In the dressing room during county games they would break out into ironic song about the few chances they got." His final full season saw him score 418 runs at 32.15. Of his eleven centuries, three were scored against Victoria, against whom he had an average of 41.75, however he scored the most runs, and his highest score, against New South Wales. In 2001, Hamence was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to Australian society through the sport of cricket.

He died in an Adelaide nursing home, aged 94, in 2010.

| Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50

| 1 | 31 | 31.00 | 30* | 0/0

| 2 | 50 | 25.00 | 25 | 0/0

| 3 | 81 | 27.00 | 30 | 0/0