Solly Katz
South African cricketer and inventor
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Solly Katz is a former South African cricketer and inventor. He played as a right-handed batter and wicketkeeper in first-class cricket, representing Eastern Province and Transvaal during the 1960s. He later emigrated to Israel, where he pursued a career as an inventor and contributed to various technological developments, including patents in solar energy and other fields.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 October 1942 Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
| Batting | Right-hand bat |
| Role | Wicketkeeper |
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| Eastern Province | |
| Transvaal | |
Source: Cricinfo, 16 March 2021 | |
Early life and education
Solly Katz attended Grey High School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where he was a member of the school’s Old Greys’ Union as an alumnus.[1]
Cricket Career
Solly Katz was a right-handed batter and wicketkeeper who appeared in nine first-class matches during his career, representing Eastern Province and Transvaal between the 1961/62 and 1967/68 seasons.[2][3] He is listed as a representative cricketer for Eastern Province for the 1961/62 season in the official list of Eastern Province representative players.[4]
Katz appeared for Transvaal in a first-class match against the touring Australians at New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in November 1966 during the 1966–67 Australia tour of South Africa. Transvaal won the four-day match by 76 runs.[5]
Katz was also Transvaal’s wicketkeeper in the 1966–67 Currie Cup match against Rhodesia, taking the field in what was described as his first game for Transvaal in that competition.[6]
During his first-class career, Katz’s contemporaries in South African representative cricket included players such as Graeme Pollock,[7] Peter Pollock,[8] Atholl McKinnon,[9] Tiger Lance,[10] Eddie Barlow,[11] and Ali Bacher,[12] as well as cricketers from international association cricket such as Jerrold Kessel.[13]
According to the late Tom Dean, who coached cricket at Grey High School, Katz was "the best wicketkeeper that he had ever coached from here."[14]
Later Life and Inventions
In addition to his cricket career, Solly Katz is an inventor with multiple patents to his name. He is listed as an inventor on a patent for improvements to solar energy heating devices under French patent application FR2321097A1.[15] Katz is also the inventor of a United States patent for a solar heater (US4128096A), which describes improvements in solar heating systems that adjust collector orientation and insulation to optimize performance.[16]
Katz is additionally listed as the inventor on patents for beverage and fluid dispensers, including a beverage dispenser with an agitator[17], a fluid dispenser patented in the European Patent Office[18], and an Australian liquid dispenser patent.[19]
