Syd Ward

Who was Syd Ward?

Sydney William "Syd" Ward was an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. Ward was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and, from the death of Frank Shipston on 6 July 2005 until his death, was considered the oldest living first-class cricketer and the second oldest ever, behind Jim Hutchinson. Following his death, Cyril Perkins became the oldest living first-class cricketer.

Ward was born in Australia, but moved to New Zealand at some point prior to playing first-class cricket for Wellington. His first-class debut for Wellington came in the 1929/30 Plunket Shield against Otago. From 1929/30 to 1937/38, he represented Wellington in 10 first-class matches, with his final first-class match coming against Canterbury. In his 20 first-class innings, he scored 282 runs at a batting average of 14.84, with a single half century high score of 61, which came against Auckland in the 1934/35 season.

Outside of cricket, there is an indication that Ward played football for Waterside, who won the 1940 Chatham Cup, with Ward scoring a goal in the final against Mosgiel as Waterside ran out 6-2 winners. This was the team's third straight title.