By David Melvill*
It was my honour to get to know Trevor Goddard in East London in the early nineties. He invited me to look after his Unit Trust investment.
I moved it from a top performing institution to the company I represented. It did not do well. He reminded me of the company he had been with and how well it was still performing. I was embarrassed. He did not hold it against me. He was gracious, forgiving and more importantly, encouraging.
He was arguably South African cricket’s best all-rounder, certainly was while he played. The journalist Neil Manthorp, describes him as “One of the great but most seldom acknowledged all-rounders.”
Jackie McGlew, his captain and opening batting partner described Trevor as “a selector’s dream. He was the complete batsman – elegant and full of strokes and he was a wonderful accurate bowler and a master of flight and seam. He fielded mostly in the gully which is one of the most difficult positions on the cricket field.”
Australian legend Donald Bradman described Goddard as “a completely reliable and honest player who could be depended upon before any season started to put up a sterling performance over a whole series”. He added: “Goddard had “qualities of sincerity and integrity” and “enriched the game of cricket and set a fine example”.
Goddard played in nine test series: two in England, one each in Australia and New Zealand and five at home.
It was tough for his two children: Chris and Lindy, growing up without a dad, as the tours were for many weeks and travel by ship was time consuming. He realized he was depriving them by his long absence. To his credit, he chose to not make himself available for a tour to England.
He represented South Africa in 41 Test matches between 1955 and 1970, captaining South Africa in 13 of them over the 1963-64 season against Australia and NZ. He scored 2 516 test runs and with his swing bowling took 123 wickets at test level.
He was the first South African at test level to achieve the “double” of scoring 2 000 runs and taking 100 wickets.
The pinnacle of his career was perhaps beating the Aussies 4 – 0 in 1970. It was at the time when Graeme and Peter Pollock, Eddie Barlow, Mike Proctor and Barry Richards were all at their best.
Trevor was born on 1st August 1931. He attended Durban High School (DHS), one of South Africa’s finest cricketing nurseries. He had had a good innings, on 25th November it was time to retire and go back home to glory. He spent his last days on his daughter, Lindy Smith’s farm in Fouriesburg (on the Lesotho border).
What made the name Trevor Goddard so special? Almost anywhere in cricketing circles, you could mention the name, it is a household name. People would be full of praise for the “gentleman” of cricket. He served the sport and his country with such grace and dignity. He knew he needed to be humble and exhibit an attitude of servanthood.
For him winning was important in this cricketing world, it counted a lot for him while playing cricket indeed. Despite the fact, he would be considered as an all-time great, he saw the bigger picture, the need to succeed not in this world, but in the world to come. His accomplishments were somewhat in vain, he understood well the word that says, “What shall it profit a man if he gain everything, yet lose his soul?”
On 10 Aug 1970 at the end of his cricket career whilst working at the University of Natal, he gave his life to the Lord. Over the next 18 years he had an effective and sought-after ministry to youth. He conducted more than 35 mission to schools. Peter Pollock and he visited many a school together. He said, “I would go to as many schools that would accept me.”
Godddard’s story of tragedy, sorrows and new-found joys is recorded in his book Caught in the Deep. He shares the story of his first wife, Jean’s terminal illness and their 21 years of marriage and his call to ministry. As well as his new marriage to Lesley, and a near fatal car accident. In this compelling story, anchored in human situations, Trevor shows how to triumph in the trials and the testings.
He was later involved in a sport ministry in Stellenbosch. After that, he and Lesley would lead Bible studies and prayer groups in Somerset West; he also made himself available for counselling.
- David Melvill is a financial advisor and a longstanding friend of the late Trevor Goddard
