Ossie Dawson
South African cricketer (1919–2008)
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Oswald Charles Dawson MC (1 September 1919 – 22 December 2008) was a South African cricketer who played in 9 Test matches, all against England, in the 1947 and 1948–49 series.
Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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| Full name | Oswald Charles Dawson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 September 1919 Durban, Natal, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 22 December 2008 (aged 89) Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test debut | 7 June 1947 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 5 March 1949 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 15 November 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dawson was an all-rounder, an aggressive middle-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, who was an important player for Natal from 1938–39 to 1949–50 and Border from 1951–52 to 1961–62. His highest first-class score was 182, when Border defeated Transvaal by an innings in the Currie Cup in 1952–53.[1] His best bowling figures were 5 for 42, when the South Africans had an innings victory over Warwickshire in 1947.[2]
Dawson also played baseball for Natal.[3] His brother Denis played cricket for Kenya and East Africa.[4]
Before he came to prominence on the cricket field, Dawson had a distinguished record in World War II. He served with the Royal Durban Light Infantry at the Battle of El Alamein and later won a Military Cross in Italy.[5]
Dawson died at his home in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, in December 2008, aged 89. He and his wife Maureen had five children.[5] Their son Kevin played first-class cricket in South Africa from 1979 to 1987.[6][7]